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will ipad kill traditional newspaper sales?
- Thread starter aihna
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Let's put it this way, im 22 and i'm a total news junkie. I've never touched a physical newspaper in my entire life. So yes, the days of the newspaper are numbered, and not just because of the ipad, but because of the internet in general. In addition to that, im unwilling to pay for news. It's available for free in a million different places. Good riddance printed newspapers, you're nothing but a waste of resources. Yay 21st century!
Do you send friends and family Birthday or Christmas cards, or do you just save time, money and the earth resources and email them all your best wishes?
Well, luckily my friends and family all live in my immediate area and not scattered throughout the states. When i buy them gifts i also include a physical card and hand deliver it to them. But even if they lived far away, there is still something special about a hand written card that makes it more sentimental. Not so much for newspapers though, nothing sentimental about them, just a severely outdated form of information delivery. I'm gonna have to call up the company that keeps leaving those free newspapers on my driveway, i keep running over them and then it rains and they get all soggy, and when i lift them up to throw them out there are a whole bunch of worms under them. This is what newspapers have come down to.
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Hell yeah, you can get a job, buy a house and fully furnish it, buy a car, AND get laid all on one site. Now THAT'S the future!
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Not the iPad alone and not kill ; but severe hurt ...
Most of my news needs I get from Internet but I still buy some periodicals. Those are still not yet on par with paper. But getting for sure better.
The only thing I don't yet get is why some companies just think that simple scanned PDF files are sufficient or why "digital only" is not an option for a fair price. Not yet there, but on a way.
Not the iPad alone and not kill ; but severe hurt ...
Most of my news needs I get from Internet but I still buy some periodicals. Those are still not yet on par with paper. But getting for sure better.
The only thing I don't yet get is why some companies just think that simple scanned PDF files are sufficient or why "digital only" is not an option for a fair price. Not yet there, but on a way.
Still I don't see the news papers getting extinct from the world. Atelast for next 15 years or so.
I haven't touched a Chicago Tribune in years--it's free on chicagotribune.com. I haven't put my TV on CNN in years, it's free on CNN.com. AP mobile is free, CNET is free, etc.
The iPad is just making it a lot easier and more comfortable for me to read/watch this content. It didn't cause the demise of print media, but it sure is speeding it up.
My one gripe is that right now in a lot of cases, it costs MORE to get only the iPad version of some publications. A lot of times you save money by getting the print version and then using the free iPad version that comes with your subscription. That makes no sense to me--the publishers save money and resources by just selling me the digital subscription. Why are they so stuck on sending a print version to my mailbox?
The iPad is just making it a lot easier and more comfortable for me to read/watch this content. It didn't cause the demise of print media, but it sure is speeding it up.
My one gripe is that right now in a lot of cases, it costs MORE to get only the iPad version of some publications. A lot of times you save money by getting the print version and then using the free iPad version that comes with your subscription. That makes no sense to me--the publishers save money and resources by just selling me the digital subscription. Why are they so stuck on sending a print version to my mailbox?
I agree with this... It is a slow death for newspapers and magazines. You see it on the news a lot these days. Newspaper and magazine companies struggling to stay afloat because revenues aren't there anymore.
The iPad is but one straw on the hay bale hat has been put on the camel's back for more than 20 years now.
a-graphic-history-of-newspaper-circulation-over-the-last-two-decades
a-graphic-history-of-newspaper-circulation-over-the-last-two-decades
I had a simular conversation with my wife when the IPad came out. She is very kinestetic and likes the feel of paper under her fingers.
We were discussing how the Ipod killed CD's. The majority of music is now delivered or listened to from memory storage devices rather than a hard disk. I do most music purchases straight from ITunes. To be honest I cannot remember how many years it has been since I actually purchased music on a round plastic disc.
I suggested the IPad (which out sold all ebook readers in the first weekend) would kill printed media in the same way. I included books, magazines and newspapers.
Of course being a person who prefers to feel paper she immediately poo poo'd the idea, and told me I had no Idea what I was talking about.
I purchased an IPad for her, she now prefers to read books on the IPad, we get all our magazines delivered on the IPad, and do most internet news from the same IPad or our desktop computers.
These devices are wonderful for crossing the country by car or air and bringing your entire magazines collection or book library with you all at the same time. If this was printed material I would need to have a trailer or extra suit cases to haul it all.
We have found that the delivery and visual effects of the printed material is wonderful, I like it because, I can see it with out the aid of reading glasses. She likes it because it is still somewhat kinesthetic, you need to use your finger to flip pages.
For those who may think I am some youngster who has not experienced buying music. I am old enough as is my wife that we have purchased 33, 45's, Reel to Reel, 8-tracks, Cassettes, CD's, VHS, Betamax, DVD, Bluray, Divx, and now digital delivery movies. (MP4).
The point is as technology changes/improves the way we receive/enjoy our media changes as well. IMHO
We were discussing how the Ipod killed CD's. The majority of music is now delivered or listened to from memory storage devices rather than a hard disk. I do most music purchases straight from ITunes. To be honest I cannot remember how many years it has been since I actually purchased music on a round plastic disc.
I suggested the IPad (which out sold all ebook readers in the first weekend) would kill printed media in the same way. I included books, magazines and newspapers.
Of course being a person who prefers to feel paper she immediately poo poo'd the idea, and told me I had no Idea what I was talking about.
I purchased an IPad for her, she now prefers to read books on the IPad, we get all our magazines delivered on the IPad, and do most internet news from the same IPad or our desktop computers.
These devices are wonderful for crossing the country by car or air and bringing your entire magazines collection or book library with you all at the same time. If this was printed material I would need to have a trailer or extra suit cases to haul it all.
We have found that the delivery and visual effects of the printed material is wonderful, I like it because, I can see it with out the aid of reading glasses. She likes it because it is still somewhat kinesthetic, you need to use your finger to flip pages.
For those who may think I am some youngster who has not experienced buying music. I am old enough as is my wife that we have purchased 33, 45's, Reel to Reel, 8-tracks, Cassettes, CD's, VHS, Betamax, DVD, Bluray, Divx, and now digital delivery movies. (MP4).
The point is as technology changes/improves the way we receive/enjoy our media changes as well. IMHO
I had a simular conversation with my wife when the IPad came out. She is very kinestetic and likes the feel of paper under her fingers.
We were discussing how the Ipod killed CD's. The majority of music is now delivered or listened to from memory storage devices rather than a hard disk. I do most music purchases straight from ITunes. To be honest I cannot remember how many years it has been since I actually purchased music on a round plastic disc.
I suggested the IPad (which out sold all ebook readers in the first weekend) would kill printed media in the same way. I included books, magazines and newspapers.
Of course being a person who prefers to feel paper she immediately poo poo'd the idea, and told me I had no Idea what I was talking about.
I purchased an IPad for her, she now prefers to read books on the IPad, we get all our magazines delivered on the IPad, and do most internet news from the same IPad or our desktop computers.
These devices are wonderful for crossing the country by car or air and bringing your entire magazines collection or book library with you all at the same time. If this was printed material I would need to have a trailer or extra suit cases to haul it all.
We have found that the delivery and visual effects of the printed material is wonderful, I like it because, I can see it with out the aid of reading glasses. She likes it because it is still somewhat kinesthetic, you need to use your finger to flip pages.
For those who may think I am some youngster who has not experienced buying music. I am old enough as is my wife that we have purchased 33, 45's, Reel to Reel, 8-tracks, Cassettes, CD's, VHS, Betamax, DVD, Bluray, Divx, and now digital delivery movies. (MP4).
The point is as technology changes/improves the way we receive/enjoy our media changes as well. IMHO
I'm in the same boat--I think I was the world's last holdout for going MP3 only. I have a gigantic CD library and always appreciated having hard copies of my music. I have only been exclusively using MP3s for about 2 years, but have been very OCD about making sure all my music is backed up to my 3 TB network drive in case anything crashes. I'd rather rely on a hard drive copy these days than a CD that sits on my shelf and degrades while I listen to all the music I just ripped from it anyway.
As far as the print publishers, they need to adapt or get out of the way. I read one issue of wired on the iPad and was immediately a convert. I am no longer interested in printed paper for my magazines, books, or news. Setting aside whether or not you LIKE Wired magazine (I'm still not sure after one issue), the layout and format is done incredibly well and in a way that is not possible in the print version.
The only complaint I have is that these interactive magazines, and the iPad in general, make me feel like I have ADD. I still haven't gotten over the fact that I'm now doing most of my mobile computing and media consumption on my iPad. So when I'm doing something on it, I just want to mess with other stuff. I have trouble concentrating. When the new-ness of just owning an iPad finally wears off, I'm sure that will get better.
Maybe so, but I buy the Sunday Chicago Tribune anyway, for all the weekly sales circulars and tons of coupons, which easily pays for the $1.75 cost of buying the newspaper.
And when riding public transportation, particular the subways, I'm not about to tempt theives by displaying my Ipad to them. That's just asking for a mugging, which I have seen happen.
I'm also not about to spend the day on the beach, burning in the hot sun, just to protect my iPad. Anyone who really wants my $2 magazines and $5 paperback novels that bad, are welcome to them! Just as long as they take my well worn and faded out Spongebob beach towel too.
I ride the Metra to and from work every day--pretty much the suit and tie crowd. Not too worried about someone snatching it from me. The Metra was actually the whole reason I bought an iPad!
Save the trees, buy an iPad
Seriously though, we have been living in the digital age for some time now. To be honest, I'm surprised physical/traditional newspapers aren't completely obsolete by now, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Then again who knows, maybe some people just prefer traditional newspapers still over the Internet and things like iPad magazine/newspaper apps but it does seem more each day that audience is depleting.
Seriously though, we have been living in the digital age for some time now. To be honest, I'm surprised physical/traditional newspapers aren't completely obsolete by now, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Then again who knows, maybe some people just prefer traditional newspapers still over the Internet and things like iPad magazine/newspaper apps but it does seem more each day that audience is depleting.
I ride the Metra to and from work every day--pretty much the suit and tie crowd. Not too worried about someone snatching it from me. The Metra was actually the whole reason I bought an iPad!
I've been taking the train downtown for years (Red and Brown lines) on my way to work, first with my Kindle, then the 2nd gen Kindle and then (and now) my iPad. Makes the trip far more productive.
Oh, as for the OP's thesis: Many, many things have been responsible for newspapers' decline, the iPad being the most recent. But papers were in the *****ter for some time prior to the introduction of the iPad.
Seriously. I work for a newspaper and can promise you that iPads aren't going to kill anything that hasn't already been killed. We're more counting on them saving us, mainly because they're much more reader-friendly than other computer screens.
When I first saw an iPad, the thing that amazed me most was the portrait-style display, which is how most of us read paper items. Computers have gone toward the 16:9 ration, while the iPad is 3:4. It eliminates a lot of wasted space on the sides of news websites and allows you to see more down the page.
There are benefits as far as multimedia and portability compared to a computer. We're just trying to figure out how to profit from it. I think eventually subscriptions will come along, but nowhere near as expensive as the New York Times. I like the NY Times model, but the prices are awful. I know from being a user that people don't want to pay MORE for something digital than in print because of the conception that you are saving so much on not having to print. I don't know whether that's true or not, but I know when I hold an iPad 2 instead of some 500-page book, it feels like I should pay less, especially after I dropped $700 on the iPad.