One Vision for Magazine Content on the Apple Tablet

[Westside guy]

C'mon, was that video put together by a 14-year-old geek? There's no way someone got paid to make that - that's more like something you'd find on YouTube under a screen name like "3l3tr0n!c 43v3r".

It's not April 1 - I just double-checked.

 

[localoid]

C'mon, was that video put together by a 14-year-old geek? There's no way someone got paid to make that - that's more like something you'd find on YouTube under a screen name like "3l3tr0n!c 43v3r".

It's not April 1 - I just double-checked.

I agree. Implying that this crappy video is somehow an official production of Wired and/or Condé Nast Publications, Inc. is ludicrous.

 

[MattInOz]

C'mon, was that video put together by a 14-year-old geek? There's no way someone got paid to make that - that's more like something you'd find on YouTube under a screen name like "3l3tr0n!c 43v3r".

It's not April 1 - I just double-checked.

Around here we call them work experience kids.

 

[KnightWRX]

For those that say no way, well the iphone was no way, and it came out, then it was the iphone sucks because bla bla bla no keybord, and it keeps reaming the uninvited masses who don't have one. Now we are in 3GS world and other companies with 100 of phones in their portfolio are pissed how Apple with 1 phone is rimming them.

Except for the fact that cellphones were already highly popular before the iPhone even came out. The market was already full of devices and consumers couldn't get enough and were always waiting for the next big thing in cellphones.

However, let's look at the current tablet market... Oh right, it's not a market, it's a niche. A very, very small niche. There's a few products there, but manufacturers are dropping them like flies because of abyssal sales. Even Nokia decided that it's tablet is now a cellphone instead, made it much smaller and put in a GSM chip.

So trying to compare the Tablet to the iPhone is ludicrous at best. The only people I've seen excited at the prospect of an Apple tablet are Apple fans.

It'll be a niche like Apple TV if Apple does decide to run with it.

 

[Vulpinemac]

There is no way Apple's putative tablet is going to use a proprietary ADOBE platform. No way.

Last time someone said "No Way," Apple turned right around and did it. The question is, are you wanting an Apple proprietary system, or something that Apple just makes look and work better than any other device?

 

[cmaier]

Last time someone said "No Way," Apple turned right around and did it. The question is, are you wanting an Apple proprietary system, or something that Apple just makes look and work better than any other device?

Every bit of evidence suggests adobe won't be involved in anything they do. They are pushing html 5 as a replacement for flash, and they obviously will focus on cocoa as the sdk rather than something like AIR.

 

[Vulpinemac]

No, it makes the Kindle look really MATTE!


A glossy screen would kill (at least for me) even the best tablet in the world. As I cannot use my MacBook Pro outdoors, I can imagine that anything aimed to display text is better have matte screen. The iPhone doesn't count. It is one thing to read emails on the move and another to read whole articles on a dedicated device.

While I may not argue your personal opinion, in my own case, I can't stand the Matte--in any kind of backlight whatsoever, the screen is so washed out I can't even make out what I'm trying to look at. Really, to use almost any kind of matte screen outdoors, I either had to be in heavy shade or under a roof. At least with a glossy screen, I can see and work with what I have just about anywhere, though I do accept that you want to avoid bright reflections behind you. And as far as color is concerned, a glossy screen gives much more intense colors and better accuracy than a matte one, even indoors.

 

[cmaier]

And as far as color is concerned, a glossy screen gives much more intense colors and better accuracy than a matte one, even indoors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossy_display

"This makes glossy displays unsuitable for people who seek to use their computers for graphics work which requires color accuracy. "

 

[ThunderSkunk]

other companies with 100 of phones in their portfolio are pissed how Apple with 1 phone is rimming them.

Rimming or reaming? If Apple is in the preferred position, then I'd bet reaming. ...or the competition would be rimming Apple, probably not vise-versa. ..unless the competition was someone like Olivia Wilde or whatever. Then anything goes.

 

[*LTD*]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossy_display

"This makes glossy displays unsuitable for people who seek to use their computers for graphics work which requires color accuracy. "

I think he meant that the colours "pop" and the images look sharper or clearer. I don't think actual accuracay figures into it.

People seem to like glossy because it makes the colours more vivid, etc. Not good in terms of accuracy, same as it isn't good on an HDTV. First thing to do with a new HDTV is correct all the colour settings, for example.

 

[NSMonkey]

Even after the arrival of this tech the survival of the news paper industry is still in question. The problem is content is a big part of the equation. Like it or not the big newspaper organizations have taken a beyound liberal approach to the news. To the point they create news to support their leftist agenda. For newspapers to be successful they need to become more credible. Ufortunately that will only happen if many of them die off completely.

You ability to absorb right-wing propaganda without even the slightest hint of scrutiny is impressive, but please keep it to yourself.

 

[firewood]

However, let's look at the current tablet market... Oh right, it's not a market, it's a niche.

Except for the iPod Touch, which is selling around as well as the iPhone (e.g. quite well).

It pretends to be a pocket/palm-sized media player, but it's getting a lot of traction for other uses. As a tablet browser/reader/app/gaming device. I know lots of people (and companies) who have iPod Touch's without even a single song on the device.

The question is whether any company (Apple or ???) can make something as useful and successful as an iPod Touch, but doesn't require me, and a *lot* of other people older than me, to hunt for our reading glasses.

I actually like using Kindle on the iPod Touch. With the brightness turned way way down and using a sepia background to limit backlight glare, I can read whole books at night without turning on a light.

For publishers, one major difference might be creating web pages that use HTML5 manifests and app caches for extended content. That will allow a customer to download a complete mini-site, including authored link content, media and interactivity, for reading/browsing an entire "magazine" or site, completely offline.

 

[dasein]

horseless carriage mentality

It's important to remember this sounds like a medium that's quite adaptive...meaning some of these magazines should rethink how they present information to the user. Turning pages is the equivalent of seeing a car as a horseless carriage when they first began...seeing this as an electronic version of the paper version. I think we need to wait and see what the really creative people will do with it. Content and presentation of content aren't the same, but they're inseparable. I wouldn't be interested in paying to experience turning the pages on a device like this. I would want interactive information. It might also handle the problem we have in modern journalism, which isn't liberal or conservative as it is incapable. Living in an information society, you'd think journalists would have a sound grounding in inferential statistics...very, very few do. The rest just parrot and comment. It'll be nice to be able to fly to original sources...THAT you can't do with print medium magazines/newspapers. We'll have to see how things evolve over the next few years.

 

[KnightWRX]

Except for the iPod Touch, which is selling around as well as the iPhone (e.g. quite well).

Except the iPod Touch is not a 10" device. Nor a 7" device. It's a pocket sized device. Don't mix it in with things like Nokia's N810 or other tablet devices. Guess why it's selling so well versus "other tablets", because if people need to carry around a backpack or bag, they'll just drag around a laptop.

The iPod touch is more akin to a Nintendo DSi or PSP/PSP go than it is to a Tablet computer.

 

[cmaier]

The iPod touch is more akin to a Nintendo DSi or PSP/PSP go than it is to a Tablet computer.

In form factor. Not so much in capability.

 

[NSMonkey]

...

So trying to compare the Tablet to the iPhone is ludicrous at best. The only people I've seen excited at the prospect of an Apple tablet are Apple fans.

It'll be a niche like Apple TV if Apple does decide to run with it.

And the only people I've seen predicting the failure of an Apple tablet are anti-Apple zealots. Personally, I'm curious to see what they come up with. Just because other companies haven't been able to make a compelling tablet computer doesn't mean that Apple can't. On the other hand, it does seem like a device looking for a market. Either way, doom and gloom predictions at this point are just as ridiculous as predictions of a runaway success.

 

[KnightWRX]

And the only people I've seen predicting the failure of an Apple tablet are anti-Apple zealots.

Funny, I'm not an anti-Apple zealot. I guess you missed the thread were I was denouncing the fools with an inflated sense of entitlement that were trying to justify breaking Apple's EULA.

I'm a realist. I love my Macbook, I'm sold on OS X for life. I just don't think that everything out of Cupertino is gold and I can still think for myself.

In form factor. Not so much in capability.

Been quite some time since you've used either devices right ? The iPod Touch is a media device/gaming device that happens to have WiFi and Internet support. Guess what the PSP Go is ?

 

[Vulpinemac]

Every time a new article comes out about the rumored Apple Tablet, it seems the same old naysayers have to chime up with all the same excuses why a Tablet will never work simply because they are so narrow-minded that they can't conceive that there might be an enormous market for these in the enterprise, military, law enforcement and yes, even in the home. Honestly, anywhere you would find a pad of paper, a device like this could serve the same purpose.

Consider:

1. The foreman of a manufacturing plant walks from station to station down the assembly line, inspecting, monitoring and annotating his checklist at each stop, with an automatic time stamp for each note. With wireless technology, the notes are immediately entered into his desktop computer and logged, eliminating the need to copy his notations and making his job significantly more efficient.
2. A policeman writes up his report on a traffic stop, accident, burglary or other incident while away from his vehicle, perhaps even photographing evidence at the time for later use in court.
3. Your wife is making dinner or preparing for a party when she discovers that she lacks some ingredients from her recipe, she taps the name of the ingredient and begins annotating a shopping list direct from the screen and carries the tablet along without ever having to write anything down on paper. As she's shopping, all she needs to do is tap the item to check off what she's picked up and soon she's on her way home without forgetting anything she went out after.
4. The doctor makes his rounds of his patients, annotating their condition and linking to the equpment monitoring the patient's vitals, getting a snapshot of each one in passing without having to take any manual notes. He can focus on the patient and present a much better bedside manner while simultaneously updating prescriptions or recommending other changes to the patient's care -- without having to roll around a big cart and having to turn away to type on a keyboard.

In summary, the usefulness of such a device goes far beyond a mere ebook/emagazine reader. Steve Jobs may have said Apple has no interest in the 'Netbook' market, but that doesn't mean he can't create something that will replace the netbook.

 

[Dimka]

hybrid

e-ink is the best screen technology for reading text on portable devices, but it not suitable for anything with realtime interactive features. OLED is a lot better for color and dynamic content and user interfaces.
however there are working prototypes of hybrid displays, that have both technologies. I hope that apple is advance enough to use such hybrid display for future media/tablet device.
It will be ideal for both reading and for using it like a awesome media device that can give netbook/travelers crowd some serious cravings

 

[KnightWRX]

Every time a new article comes out about the rumored Apple Tablet, it seems the same old naysayers have to chime up with all the same excuses why a Tablet will never work simply because they are so narrow-minded that they can't conceive that there might be an enormous market for these in the enterprise, military, law enforcement and yes, even in the home. Honestly, anywhere you would find a pad of paper, a device like this could serve the same purpose.

Except there is already a variety of Tablet devices on the market (hardware keyboards, touch interfaces, stylus interfaces, 7", 10", 4"... etc...). Narrow-minded ? Just looking at the current state of things, you can see the Enterprise, Law enforcement, Military don't give a crap about tablets.

Seriously, I never was a iPhone nay-sayer, I knew it was going to be a big hit. I'm very skeptical about the Tablet. Tablets just aren't popular now.

 

[Vulpinemac]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossy_display

"This makes glossy displays unsuitable for people who seek to use their computers for graphics work which requires color accuracy. "

Sorry, but I hardly consider Wiki a verifiable source of information under most circumstances, especially when they say, "This article contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed," right on the page.

I don't deny that under some circumstances a glass display might be annoying, but at least for me (and I'm a photographer,) I prefer the brightness and accuracy of the glossy display, what I see there is much closer to what I get from my printer compared to the matte display sitting right next to it.

 

[Vulpinemac]

It's important to remember this sounds like a medium that's quite adaptive...meaning some of these magazines should rethink how they present information to the user. Turning pages is the equivalent of seeing a car as a horseless carriage when they first began...seeing this as an electronic version of the paper version. I think we need to wait and see what the really creative people will do with it. Content and presentation of content aren't the same, but they're inseparable. I wouldn't be interested in paying to experience turning the pages on a device like this. I would want interactive information. It might also handle the problem we have in modern journalism, which isn't liberal or conservative as it is incapable. Living in an information society, you'd think journalists would have a sound grounding in inferential statistics...very, very few do. The rest just parrot and comment. It'll be nice to be able to fly to original sources...THAT you can't do with print medium magazines/newspapers. We'll have to see how things evolve over the next few years.

"Fahrenheit 451" Remember the movie; Remember the book. Some are afraid that society is where we're headed. Others are hoping it's the technology.

(And people say Science Fiction is dead. Ha! What do they know?)

 

[Vulpinemac]

Except there is already a variety of Tablet devices on the market (hardware keyboards, touch interfaces, stylus interfaces, 7", 10", 4"... etc...). Narrow-minded ? Just looking at the current state of things, you can see the Enterprise, Law enforcement, Military don't give a crap about tablets.

Seriously, I never was a iPhone nay-sayer, I knew it was going to be a big hit. I'm very skeptical about the Tablet. Tablets just aren't popular now.

Maybe you should look again, Knight. I'll grant that the enterprise isn't using a tablet yet... what's currently out there is practically useless because they're trying to use a desktop OS that simply isn't made for the medium. On the other hand, the military is already using iPod Touch devices, Law Enforcement could and probably are using them for similar purposes and I already know that the medical field is strongly supported by this technology. Honestly, just as the iPod effectively created the MP3 market (I know, lots of other devices before it, but how much demand?) I believe that a touch tablet device will generate the demand that seems so lacking now.

I personally knew an IBM engineer who was working on a Star Trek 'Padd' concept over 12 years ago, and he was using the Newton as his inspiration. He said the Personal Digital Assistants that were just hitting the market fell far short of the concept and need as presented by that old TV series.

 

[cmaier]

Sorry, but I hardly consider Wiki a verifiable source of information under most circumstances, especially when they say, "This article contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed," right on the page.

I don't deny that under some circumstances a glass display might be annoying, but at least for me (and I'm a photographer,) I prefer the brightness and accuracy of the glossy display, what I see there is much closer to what I get from my printer compared to the matte display sitting right next to it.

Matte screens are fairly universally recognized as having superior color accuracy, hence the outcry from graphics professionals to bring back matte when, for awhile, Apple stopped supplying them in the MBPs. You may have a calibration problem.

 

[KnightWRX]

Maybe you should look again, Knight. I'll grant that the enterprise isn't using a tablet yet... what's currently out there is practically useless because they're trying to use a desktop OS that simply isn't made for the medium. On the other hand, the military is already using iPod Touch devices, Law Enforcement could and probably are using them for similar purposes and I already know that the medical field is strongly supported by this technology. Honestly, just as the iPod effectively created the MP3 market (I know, lots of other devices before it, but how much demand?) I believe that a touch tablet device will generate the demand that seems so lacking now.

Really ? Because when the iPod launched, I knew exactly 1 guy with one (since they were Mac only at first) and about 3 dozen or so with a 128 MB flash MP3 based player.

No one is denying that the iPod was great, but the market was already very well established with flash based players when it came out. Same for the cellphones, not the same for the Tablets out there.

And not all tablets run Windows XP. The N810 has a specifically built OS for it.