Comments on: iPad, Magazines, and Newspapers — An Open Letter To Steve Jobs

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:37 +0000

I totally agree with this – for all the reasons you state, and more.
I was calling it iSubscribe, or iNews or something…

That said, if some publisher finds the format too confining, they might make their own app. It’d be hard to force someone to do otherwise. It’ll be the same thing with iBooks… you can make an app that’s your own book in its own reader – people are doing this today for the iPhone/touch (unless Apple starts rejecting them).

Also, what’s to stop someone from creating their own “periodical viewer”, that has all the same capabilities of an iNews? Publishers could then either buy this template to make their own app, or publish their content within the single larger app… Also, some big publisher could consolidate all their publications in a “conde nast” app. So, you’d wind up with a few apps instead of dozens… maybe.

Anyway, regardless of the approach, it could really get messy!

I’m sure this topic has been debated in & out of the walls at Apple…

By: Philipp

Philipp — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:40:37 +0000

Great! The more the better. Let’s hope someone will listen.

By: Newsman

Newsman — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:24:33 +0000

Interesting reading! On february 3 I sent an email to Apple with pretty much the same request as you have. I hope they do it and I hope they get it right.

By: Philipp

Philipp — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:17:31 +0000

Vijay, I agree with you. “eMag” was just an example for the greater picture. HTML5 — packaged into an eMag-wrapper — might do the trick. As long as content providers will have absolute control over their layouts (to emulate the beauty of well designed magazines) HTML5 might just do the trick.

By: Vijay Arunkumar

Vijay Arunkumar — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:13:16 +0000

Instead of engineering an entirely new content format, I would expect Apple to follow the same approach it took when it introduced iTunes LP format. Basically, build some packaging specs on top of HTML5 content. HTML5 supports most of the advanced layout functionality that content creators want, and also enables publishers to author content using already available tools. Also, it would streamline publishing both to the web and to the iPad which would be helpful in getting more publishers onboard quickly.

By: beez1717

beez1717 — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:07:30 +0000

I think that if apple were to do this type of thing that they may end up saving the news stand industry. What would be nice is if you could buy any print news stand magazine and you could choose to either get a physical subscription or you could use the code in the magazine to get the eMag format for whatever device you choose to use. There could also be an option to get both, and perhaps you’d get different content based on weather it’s physical or if it’s an eMag. For example, if Sports Illustrated decided they could have more gameday movies, videos and stuff in their eMag but more in depth articles in their periotical. Just a thought…

By: Billy Delaney

Billy Delaney — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:13:20 +0000

Yes!
You have it dead to rights.
New device, new way to devise the content and delivery of the information.
But, will the Apple makers listen?