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One Vision for Magazine Content on the Apple Tablet
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Interactive magazine, get out of here I so want one now, I visioned this 10 years ago. 
People are terrible at multi-tasking presently, this amount of interactivity will be over-load since the main point behind reading a book is the content not the adverts. People are already sick of all the advert placements that they seek ways to block them. All this new
Tablet will do is take what DVD/BR hyper-link content to an animated state.
I see this being the next G4 Cube for Jobs. Though I really liked the Cube it was waay over-priced. Release theTablet so it can R.I.P. after one year.
People are terrible at multi-tasking presently, this amount of interactivity will be over-load since the main point behind reading a book is the content not the adverts. People are already sick of all the advert placements that they seek ways to block them. All this new
Tablet will do is take what DVD/BR hyper-link content to an animated state.I see this being the next G4 Cube for Jobs. Though I really liked the Cube it was waay over-priced. Release the
Tablet so it can R.I.P. after one year.
Look on the bright side, it will employ web designers to do DTP jobs and train DTP to be web designers. People will get sick of the animated adverts that they will just revert to a paperback novel.
Following the
laptop lineup, it will have a built-in batter the size of the screen to accommodate for the 24 hours of usage. It will have an SD/SDHC?MMC slot for viewing, expanding or exporting data to a primary laptop or computer. Think of buying an eBook or Music Album from a store on an SD card and loading it up. Record Labels have been planning albums on SD export for years as the successor to CD and DVD. LED backlit screen a built-in GPU on Chip and about 256-512MB DRAM and Wireless "N." This device will be lower spec'd compared to a netbook as it is meant to load information into an advert from a manufacturer website. Don't count on watching 1080p movies on this thing and music well it will have a mono speaker similar to the iPod Touch.And there you have it.
If it were a tablet and netbook combined then that would be truly revolutionary. Imagine two flat screens joined together where when laid flat they become a tablet with seemless graphics and animation from one screen to the other. The screens can then be folded to resemble a netbook with a virtual keyboard akin to the iPhone's. It's a table one minute then a netbook the next. I'd take one of those.
Take the screen off a "Classic" Macbook Pro. Remove the hinges, etc, make it one flush shell and a whole lot sturdier.
My ideal Apple tablet.
My ideal Apple tablet.
Please do not attack print designers like they are some sort of lower-intelligence group.
Also, those are "Flash Programmers" that made all that stuff continuously move like a bad flash banner advertisement.
Well thought out movement will be vital, you can see some well UXed movement in the Wired video.
The link to the site you are referring to ( http://issue.igizmo.co.uk/ ) is very poor "movement-just-to-piss-you-off movement." The hallmark of a Flash Programmer, not a Print Designer. Although even this bad, completely flash-based version of a magazine is not a bad start, and this type of thing is most absolutely the future...
/rant
Where is the bitching that it requires an internet connection to work? It is basically a laptop that is running only a browser to access an online magazine...
What happened to websites? Aren't their articles just interactive magazines?
What happened to websites? Aren't their articles just interactive magazines?
I really hope the Tablet won't be aimed at magazines! Isn't that a bit plain and boring? I mean it's a good thing of course, but come on, it's a touchscreen device with an awesome screen and WiFi, using it to read text with some images isn't going to make much use of all its features... Plus it's like browsing a webpage anyway, you can already do that on an iPhone and any computer...
I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I just hope this isn't going to be the "Killer Feature" of it!
I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I just hope this isn't going to be the "Killer Feature" of it!
If it were a tablet and netbook combined then that would be truly revolutionary. Imagine two flat screens joined together where when laid flat they become a tablet with seemless graphics and animation from one screen to the other. The screens can then be folded to resemble a netbook with a virtual keyboard akin to the iPhone's. It's a table one minute then a netbook the next. I'd take one of those.
Sure, I can totally imagine that you'll have to buy two $2000 tablets straight away to get a keyboard, otherwise, if you only have one all you'll get is a PDF reader. Everyone would love that!
I am not going to spend $2,000 on an OLED souped up bloody ebook reader.
What on earth am I going to use a tablet for? What on earth is anyone going to use a tablet for?
Having said that, when I see it, I'll want to buy it. If it's an apple...
What on earth am I going to use a tablet for? What on earth is anyone going to use a tablet for?
Having said that, when I see it, I'll want to buy it. If it's an apple...
They're not. They're just dedicated to working with a medium in which they're prevented from creating any sort of interactive or animated content, so when the opportunity presents, they go overboard. The same goes for me as a web designer; if you hired me to design a flyer, you couldn't move for the fonts.
I agree with blaming the Flash programmers, though. Flash is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.
I'm going to use it for everything you cant imagine! Reading books, checking itineraries, reading the paper and magazines, making reservations, chatting with people, sending off some emails on the run, scanning through work documents, editing material.
It's going to be a great thing for some people.
It's going to be a great thing for some people.
Ok, so I realise that I may not be representative of many potential tablet users (a probably failed - but still trying to be - academic), but I want one because:
1) I would like to be able to download and read pretty much anything from books, to magazine articles, to academic journal articles etc.
2) I also want to be able to "gloss" the content with highlights/underlines and maybe link off to write notes and ideas of my own
3) I need to be able to store my annotated copies of documents and access them again
4) I want to be able to do this from wherever: my desk, my sofa, outside etc.
5) I would like to do this through a touchscreen interface (because I've tried with other kinds and it just doesn't seem *easy* enough)
6) It'd be great to do all of this with something that is really well-designed and intuitive, err and also attractive (given that it's going to cost a lot of dollars).
I don't have an iPhone, but I have plenty of friends who do. The interface innovations for that make it seem (when I'm feeling optimistic) as if there is a future for a really good tablet, as an ebook reader and more.
1) I would like to be able to download and read pretty much anything from books, to magazine articles, to academic journal articles etc.
2) I also want to be able to "gloss" the content with highlights/underlines and maybe link off to write notes and ideas of my own
3) I need to be able to store my annotated copies of documents and access them again
4) I want to be able to do this from wherever: my desk, my sofa, outside etc.
5) I would like to do this through a touchscreen interface (because I've tried with other kinds and it just doesn't seem *easy* enough)
6) It'd be great to do all of this with something that is really well-designed and intuitive, err and also attractive (given that it's going to cost a lot of dollars).
I don't have an iPhone, but I have plenty of friends who do. The interface innovations for that make it seem (when I'm feeling optimistic) as if there is a future for a really good tablet, as an ebook reader and more.
People said Apple had no chance in the mobile arena and that it would fail immediately too, and look what happened there - it reinvigorated the entire industry forcing everyone to up their game considerably.
I certainly won't count them out just yet, especially as Apple haven't announced anything yet either
I certainly won't count them out just yet, especially as Apple haven't announced anything yet either
People said Apple had no chance in the mobile arena and that it would fail immediately too, and look what happened there - it reinvigorated the entire industry forcing everyone to up their game considerably.
I certainly won't count them out just yet, especially as Apple haven't announced anything yet either
Don't forget iPods, Macs, OS X, etc. Nearly everything Apple touches turns to gold.
Even products that aren't such a hit in terms of sales, like te Macbook Air, are universally admired and regarded as examples of innovation and tecnhical savvy.
Reading books on a a device with a back lite display
I have read several books on my iPhone via the kindle app. I didn't think that was possible because of the display. I have tried to read several books on my mac and can't. The difference for me? Not the display being back lite. No, it is portability. Even with a laptop it wasn't good. The iPhone has the factor that I don't have a huge keyboard on it to get in the way. I love the back lite screen because I can read in the dark and not disturb my spouse. After a while of reading I forget that I'm even using a phone to read books.
I have read several books on my iPhone via the kindle app. I didn't think that was possible because of the display. I have tried to read several books on my mac and can't. The difference for me? Not the display being back lite. No, it is portability. Even with a laptop it wasn't good. The iPhone has the factor that I don't have a huge keyboard on it to get in the way. I love the back lite screen because I can read in the dark and not disturb my spouse. After a while of reading I forget that I'm even using a phone to read books.
So... it's like the web... without scrolling... or navigation... or hyperlinks... or even (I'm guessing perhaps) flexible font size (since it's a fixed page size). Looks pretty. But seems like a step backward in some ways. They're trying to force one medium (print) onto another. Are there advantages to keeping the limitations of print while moving to the screen? Aesthetically... yes. Functionally... I'm not convinced.
Also, I assume that like Flash... this content will be locked away in a kind of "black box". I wonder about search and accessibility. But it's paid content. Like a movie or album. So that makes sense. You're not trying to make it accessible and searchable to all... because people can choose to buy it or not. So that's cool. As long as the free ad-supported web versions of these publications continue to exist.
Also, I assume that like Flash... this content will be locked away in a kind of "black box". I wonder about search and accessibility. But it's paid content. Like a movie or album. So that makes sense. You're not trying to make it accessible and searchable to all... because people can choose to buy it or not. So that's cool. As long as the free ad-supported web versions of these publications continue to exist.