Book, Magazine Publishers Hope "Shockingly Cheap" Tablets Will Save Them

[Paul Daniel Ash]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntyXvLnxyXk]YouTube - Sports Illustrated - Tablet Demo 1.5[/ame]

Though the Apple tablet is still pure vapor, the mere possibility of its eventual existence is helping push the digital publishing industry forward. Time, Inc. showed off a sharp-looking demo of a potential digital edition of Sports Illustrated, which is garnering rave reviews from both readers and industry analysts alike. And a survey of trade book professionals revealed expectations that the Apple tablet - a nonexistent product that is still no more than a tenacious rumor - will be the best selling digital reader on the market, providing a significant boost to the electronic book industry.

Time, Inc., the publishers of Sports Illustrated, worked with multimedia production house The WonderFactory to create a demo of a digital magazine in a video that they have been shopping around. They also created a working prototype using Adobe Air running on an HP tablet that they showed to focus groups, all of whom reportedly went gaga over it.

There was even consensus that people would be willing to pay $50 for both the paper magazine and the digital version. (The best verbatim: “Sorry—can we go back and see the ad again?” People loved the Weber Grill ad, which you can see in the demo.)

The publisher indicated that they are taking their digital media in a different direction than mere web content, and so expects the public to pay for getting something more. “Nobody reads the magazine on the website,” said Sports Illustrated editor Terry McDonell. “That’s a firehose. This is the opposite of a firehose.”

Conde Nast, publisher of magazines such as Vogue and GQ, is already working with Adobe to create digital editions of its titles, and recently showed off a demo of WIRED Magazine made expressly for a tablet. Peter Kafka at AllThingsDigital called the Sports Illustrated demo "as nifty as, and quite similar to," the WIRED demo. Though the Apple tablet is often mentioned as the most likely target for the digital magazines, both publishers are explicitly saying that their products will be compatible with many different platforms.

Also today, theBookseller.com at its conference on e-books in London, announced the results of a survey of more than 1,000 people in the dead tree industry. Sight unseen, the rumored Apple tablet was declared the eventual best-selling e-reader, with 52 percent saying that it would outsell Amazon's $259 US Kindle and Sony's $199 eBook Reader.

A random comment from a presenter on the Diggnation video podcast saying that Apple's device will be inexpensive, meanwhile, set tongues wagging. Digg founder Kevin Rose had said his co-host "heard about something" related to the device, and Alex Albrecht claimed he had heard what Apple was going to charge and said he "was shocked at how cheap the price point was going to be," but suggesting he may or may not have been serious.

video via The WonderFactory

[hancoma]

Shockingly cheap?
IMHO, based upon the rumor mill, however inaccurate/accurate, I think the price will be about $800, with a stripped OS strictly for surfing.
I guess we will have to see.

I actually prefer to sit with an actual book or magazine and read. There is nothing like relaxing with a proper bound book, the smell of the paper, and a cold scotch on the rocks.

[symondavis]

I just couldn't stand anymore than 1 minute and 40 odd seconds of that video. There was the most annoying peep noise I have ever heard!

[plcrules]

that looks amazing

but y would they make this vid if they dont even no if its real they might no something we dont

[cpjr]

First

Not anymore....

[Melech518]

First

[hancoma]

Not anymore....

Well done Cpjr, and Melech, nice pic!

[demonslave]

huh. this does look really nice, and I'm super interested if this will take off. if it does, looks like print magazines are headed for the extinct isle where the newspapers are...

[scottjl]

funny, how the publishers want "shockingly cheap" tablets so they can charge "shockingly huge" amounts for their ebooks. who pays for it all? the shocked consumer. or not! why these ebook readers have yet to take off after all these years.

[ukoda]

I don't think the words Apple and cheap go in the same sentence unless the words copy, knock off or clone are also present. I had a Toshiba tablet which was great but soon became unusable due to the OS. I would love to see someone like Apple do it with an OS that can keep up with user handwriting once the a normal suite of apps were installed. My guess is that any Apple tablet will be too pricey for Joe Average. I hope I'm proved wrong.

[skj8100]

Yes as someone pointed out-
apple and cheap, I don't think have ever been used together.

[snap1500]

I can see how they can sell it for cheap. If they sell it like the iPhone and require a service contract to something like....E-magazine subscription, or 3g data service, or some other kind of subscription that requires monthy payments...I dont know if this will be good for long readings if they use regular TFT screens. Ereaders have special screens made for reading.

Anyhow, I heard they bought or patent a name for their future device. The name originally belongs to another company but apple bought the name from them. Can anyone confirm this?

[k.nitsua]

If this takes off I may end up switching my major to journalism.

And I'm NOT kidding.

[Kyle Matthews]

If they sell it like the iPhone and require a service contract to something like.... 3g data service...

qft

[billmilo]

I am a firm believer that print-media is dying. I like to read newspapers, and magazines, but I don't buy the printed versions.

Make the tablet cheap enough --$800 is too much-- and then I will buy the magazine subscriptions.

[rhekt]

i would certaintly hope that its not sold under a service plan. never looked at it in that aspect. not sure why they would, but nontheless hope that wouldnt become the case.

[Melech518]

I must say I love what SI has planned for the iTablet or whatever we see in the future.
Oh, and GO GATORS!

[hollow0]

i want to see real footage of a Tablet. Not fake arms touching fake displays.

[itsnolongfing]

Thats amazing ... i reckon this would be a good idea if we have the Apple table come out soon.

[rwin84]

Tablets very well could save "printed" media outlets...