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IPAD 101
How the iPad may affect the media and entertainment landscape
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Tech nerds like us debated about what the new Apple tablet would look like once it was unveiled. After watching, with hungry eyes, Steve Jobs' January 27th launch announcement,
geeks around the globe were thrilled to learn that their predictions
were mostly correct. The iPad looked a lot like a giant iPhone, with a
9.7-inch multi-touch screen and a mind-boggling ten-hour battery
(though, oddly, lacking a camera). The device is already inspiring
debate once again, this time over whether or not it is a game changer
and, if so, how it will change the game. While the iPad won't be
available to consumers until March - unless you're Stephen Colbert - here's a look at how it may wield influence in a few key sectors:
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iMedia:
While
the iPad would seem to march print media another step (or twenty)
closer to the gallows, it also may be just the thing to rescue it. For
instance, as highlighted at the launch announcement,
The New York Times
has been working with Apple already to create an iPad-maximized app. Gray Lady staffers seem convinced, with media reporter David Carr writing of the iPad unveiling, "I couldn't say the future had arrived, but I'm pretty sure we can see it from here." Sports Illustrated is also excited about the iPad, as it is said to work well with the new interactive format
that the magazine has been developing. In theory, the iPad will allow
magazine subscribers to not only read content in a format that is as
graphically compelling as the print version, but also to watch related
videos, receive real-time updates, play games, and upload articles
directly to their Facebook pages. Of course, not all print media is
thrilled by the iPad. For instance, Condé Nast has already developed a digital magazine prototype in Flash technology, which is not supported by the iPad.
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iTV: We
have always wanted to watch TV while we bumped along on the Chinatown
bus to Philly, but somehow the idea of watching an inch-tall Vinny
fist pump never sounded that enticing. On the other hand, the iPad,
with its larger screen, might compel us to reconsider the whole mobile
TV thing. Unfortunately, because of Apple's rejection of Flash,
favorite content providers such as Hulu and Netflix will not work on
the iPad. In turn, Apple is pressuring networks to make their shows
available for lower prices on iTunes. Call us stingy, but paying for TV
shows that are free elsewhere seems like a long shot.
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iBooks:
Nothing can replace the look and feel (and smell) of shelves filled
with bound books, but we admit that e-readers have their time and
place. In an effort to dethrone Kindle
and Amazon, the iPad not only serves as an e-reader but also boasts its
own iBookstore, through which five major US publishers have agreed to
sell their books. Many are saying that the need to purchase data
packages for the iPad - not necessary for the Kindle - could mean that
the iPad won't end up being the Kindle Killer
it was thought to be. But, one thing that the iPad does have going for
it is that, unlike the Kindle, its interface doesn't operate on a
grayscale; instead, it looks like an actual book, complete with
page-turning simulation. And to many publishers' delight, the upcoming
iBookstore means that they no longer have to surrender completely to
Amazon's set prices and terms. Maybe writers won't have to starve
anymore?
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