Time Inc. Also Working on Digital Content In Anticipation of Apple Tablet

It seems that companies have learned what Apple is capable of in terms of revolutionizing the way we do things.

First, with the iPod and the way we listen to music on the go. Then, the iPhone and the way we use smart phone capabilities.

Now, in anticipation of the possible Tablet, the smart companies are betting that Apple will now revolutionize the way we read newspapers and magazines or anything that's currently considered print media.

Should be an exciting time once that Tablet comes out, and hopefully it can have a positive impact on the environment in terms of paper usage as well as reducing the traditional transportation methods of that paper.

I've been looking forward to something like this since the iPhone. I think there can be a fantastic market for it. School books, magazines, books, all type of training literature would have a fantastic life on such a device. I think publishers are really banking on this device in order to get people subscribing to digital content. This is really no different than asking users to subscribe to access a web version of a magazine, except they are putting it in your hands.

Corrode said:

It seems that companies have learned what Apple is capable of in terms of revolutionizing the way we do things.

First, with the iPod and the way we listen to music on the go. Then, the iPhone and the way we use smart phone capabilities.

Now, in anticipation of the possible Tablet, the smart companies are betting that Apple will now revolutionize the way we read newspapers and magazines or anything that's currently considered print media.

Should be an exciting time once that Tablet comes out, and hopefully it can have a positive impact on the environment in terms of paper usage as well as reducing the traditional transportation methods of that paper.

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Kindle and Nook already exist and are starting to do the job that Apple wants to get in on.

That was truly impressive. If the same form factor could read ebooks and iTunes files I would gladly be an early adopter.

MacRumors said:

The ultimate design is planned to run on "whatever tablet Apple or any[one] else has up their sleeves" according to All Things Digital.

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Oh yeah, because I was forgetting that the tablet hasn't been invented already

MacRumors said:

Publishers are worried that if left to its own, Apple may quickly dominate the industry like they have with iTunes music distribution.

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How is it even comparable? Apple can't publish magazines without the aid of the publishers like they can with music. On the flip side, the publishers will have to agree to whatever Apple offer, whether Apple makes the excuse that it won't be compatible (with their uniform designs or code) or otherwise.

Thirdly, there's more to this than meets the eye. How can they design for a new platform release they have no information about, don't even know what resolution it is or even how it will be programmed and what functionality will be supported?

looks great, but how much reading do i really want to do on a bright lcd or oled?.. you'd destroy your eyes trying to read loads of text on a screen like that,

..i'd rather have a physical magazine until they can match the crazy enhanced media of that SI edition with the e book style e-ink.

I hope these prototypes will motivate apple

lightpeak said:

Kindle and Nook already exist and are starting to do the job that Apple wants to get in on.

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There were also MP3 players and smart phones before the iPod and iPhone. Exactly my point.

This is the future of current paper media for sure

Was about time as well...

This is odd. Really odd. I've never seen anything like it before. Companies spawning entire business plans off of rumored products? They've got to know something we don't.



irmongoose

Wow that is awesome! God I hope the Apple Tablet is real.


Newspaper and Magazine companies, THIS is what innovation looks like. Your paper model may be dying, but something like this would make reaching the bottom line much easier.

wow! and this is just what the magazine may look like.. this tablet still does music, movies, internet... i really can't wait to see it.

irmongoose said:

This is odd. Really odd. I've never seen anything like it before. Companies spawning entire business plans off of rumored products? They've got to know something we don't.



irmongoose

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Exactly what I was thinking, it all just seems so strange.. And it's clearly targeted at the rumoured Apple tablet rather than any other device.

I sure hope they are being let in on Apple's plans because if they're going on rumour and Apple does delay the tablet then they're going to be mighty pissed...

What is the consensus on the "delay" rumour now? Somehow I don't think Apple would wait 6 months just for a still overpriced OLED screen :/ January damn it!!

star-fish said:

Oh yeah, because I was forgetting that the tablet hasn't been invented already



How is it even comparable? Apple can't publish magazines without the aid of the publishers like they can with music. On the flip side, the publishers will have to agree to whatever Apple offer, whether Apple makes the excuse that it won't be compatible (with their uniform designs or code) or otherwise.

Thirdly, there's more to this than meets the eye. How can they design for a new platform release they have no information about, don't even know what resolution it is or even how it will be programmed and what functionality will be supported?

Click to expand...

IF the tablet exists, or at least is in a late development cycle, who says that those who "need" to know (publishers) about those specs are not already informed... at least so far that they can start developing? just beacuse WE have no clue, it doesn't mean others in "important" positions have no clue either...

Nice... love the way it makes the content come alive. My guess is we see a demonstration of a working model in Jan/ Feb, showcasing its capabilities to developers and content publishers... and then a launch in Q2 before the next gen iPhone.

Wouldn't surprise me if it came with 3G connectivity, and a reasonable price tag subsidized by a 2-3 year plan.

Mac OS???

Now wait a minute. Is that thing running OS X? Because you can clearly see the scroll bar at 2:17.

@ 2.14 Aqua scroll bars

hello, this may be of interest to some:

if you look closly at the video at 2.14 you will see a dialogue box appear which uses Aqua scroll bars:

Its funny seeing different industries falling over themselves to "defend" against Apple blundering into their market and gobbling up their potential revenue streams. But the print media seems to have a great opportunity to claw back revenue that they've basically totally lost to the internet. Im rooting for them!

Nice enough.

However, Time Inc. should concentrate more on content than formatting. Their magazines wouldn't be failing if they weren't lazy, biased, insane, inaccurate, and behind the times.

In the next 10 years, these kinds of magazines, if they want to survive, will have to ditch printing. Printing monthly is too far behind the times when it comes to news and opinion. They have to provide EXCELLENT content with great editing, not this politically skewed drivel. And, they should think about making their "issues" constantly updating with news through the month and loading to the tablet of the reader. The magazine should be a daily cache of well formatted and reported information.

The idea of working video and graphics into such magazines is wonderful, if they can trim down the crap presented on the internet video clips. We have too much news and too slow a delivery of info at this time when showing video news.

Ah well. Hope the tablet speeds up and condenses great information, but it will probably just be an excuse to format crap, again.

vincentchan said:

Now wait a minute. Is that thing running OS X? Because you can clearly see the scroll bar at 2:17.

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I don't think its running on anything, its just a mockup animation. The scroll bars would be because they nicked the graphics, not because its really running.

In Australia Optus used to have Mac OS interface elements in a lot of their advertising, but if you actually rang up to get them to give you the internet they were clueless. They used them because they have the cool factor, but it didn't mean they actually understood anything.

SI have admitted this is aimed at a possible Apple Tablet, so of course they ripped of interface elements from Mac OS rather than Windows 7.

krakman said:

hello, this may be of interest to some:

if you look closly at the video at 2.14 you will see a dialogue box appear which uses Aqua scroll bars:

Click to expand...

Just what i wanted to tell you guys about
I'm excited

star-fish said:

Oh yeah, because I was forgetting that the tablet hasn't been invented already



How is it even comparable? Apple can't publish magazines without the aid of the publishers like they can with music. On the flip side, the publishers will have to agree to whatever Apple offer, whether Apple makes the excuse that it won't be compatible (with their uniform designs or code) or otherwise.

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Apple doesn't publish music. They distribute it. They don't do their job without publishers, the publishers are the ones they work with. They are taking the place of retail distributors of media, like WalMart. What they are doing is forming a single monolithic point of digital distribution, which the publishers could have and perhaps should have done themselves, but did not, perhaps because they didn't really believe in the model, or because they did not want to alienate their brick and mortar partners, or both.

Apple can't do the same with print content? Why not? If Rupert Murdoch can't manage to put the RSS genie back into the bottle to fight against Google, why would anybody else be able to do so against Apple?

What is preventing Apple from making a tablet browser that does most of what that prototype does, with or without participation from publishers? It's just an extension of what Dashboard and web widgets do now, or what iGoogle does.

vincentchan said:

Now wait a minute. Is that thing running OS X? Because you can clearly see the scroll bar at 2:17.

Click to expand...

krakman said:

hello, this may be of interest to some:

if you look closly at the video at 2.14 you will see a dialogue box appear which uses Aqua scroll bars:

Click to expand...

It doesn't mean anything.. it's just a mockup.. it doesn't run at all!

Corrode said:

It seems that companies have learned what Apple is capable of in terms of revolutionizing the way we do things.

First, with the iPod and the way we listen to music on the go. Then, the iPhone and the way we use smart phone capabilities.

Now, in anticipation of the possible Tablet, the smart companies are betting that Apple will now revolutionize the way we read newspapers and magazines or anything that's currently considered print media.

Should be an exciting time once that Tablet comes out, and hopefully it can have a positive impact on the environment in terms of paper usage as well as reducing the traditional transportation methods of that paper.

Click to expand...

Agreed. IMO, the big issue now is bandwidth. Can carriers handle a device like this? at&t could not for at a minimum another 12-15 months. Apple & Verizon? Big egos involved. Steve is known for holding grudges a long time.

Maybe an at&t and T-Mobile release in June when the at&t exclusivity is rumored to end?