Time Inc. demos tablet-friendly magazine concept
Time Inc. released a video walkthrough as well as a working model of its digital magazine format designed for touchscreen tablets.
Less than a month after competitor Condé Nast revealed that a digital version of Wired magazine would be available by the middle of next year, publisher Time Inc. released information Wednesday on its plans for making digital magazines a reality. Time announced that Sports Illustrated would be the first magazine to undergo the digital transition, and produced not only a video walkthrough but also a working example.
Peter Kafka at All Things Digital recently had access to the working demo of the format and reportedly had "quite a bit of fun." He reports that Time plans on making this technology available by the middle of next year or sooner.
The video features a floating hand walking the viewer though the format's various features and capabilities including: multi-touch controls, live links and sports scores, multimedia content and advertisements, and sharing though social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
AppleInsider reported several weeks ago that rumors had been swirling over the creation of plans for a multi-publisher iTunes-like digital store for selling magazines. While both the Time Inc. and Condé Nast demos look similar in presentation and capability, it is unclear whether they will share a common format.
What is clear is that Apple's forthcoming tablet has greatly influenced the thoughts and actions of print publishers. It was reported earlier in the year that Apple had contacted various publishers in order to gain support for a new device that would revolutionize the way print media is presented, and the publishers have begun to respond.
Other important players in print media have also begun to make concerted efforts to break into the digital realm. Wednesday, The New York Times officially released the Times Skimmer, an application designed to make it easier to read the paper on different screen sizes and browsers. The Times claims that it provides online readers with the layout and experience of paging though an actual newspaper.
Less than a month after competitor Condé Nast revealed that a digital version of Wired magazine would be available by the middle of next year, publisher Time Inc. released information Wednesday on its plans for making digital magazines a reality. Time announced that Sports Illustrated would be the first magazine to undergo the digital transition, and produced not only a video walkthrough but also a working example.
Peter Kafka at All Things Digital recently had access to the working demo of the format and reportedly had "quite a bit of fun." He reports that Time plans on making this technology available by the middle of next year or sooner.
The video features a floating hand walking the viewer though the format's various features and capabilities including: multi-touch controls, live links and sports scores, multimedia content and advertisements, and sharing though social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
AppleInsider reported several weeks ago that rumors had been swirling over the creation of plans for a multi-publisher iTunes-like digital store for selling magazines. While both the Time Inc. and Condé Nast demos look similar in presentation and capability, it is unclear whether they will share a common format.
What is clear is that Apple's forthcoming tablet has greatly influenced the thoughts and actions of print publishers. It was reported earlier in the year that Apple had contacted various publishers in order to gain support for a new device that would revolutionize the way print media is presented, and the publishers have begun to respond.
Other important players in print media have also begun to make concerted efforts to break into the digital realm. Wednesday, The New York Times officially released the Times Skimmer, an application designed to make it easier to read the paper on different screen sizes and browsers. The Times claims that it provides online readers with the layout and experience of paging though an actual newspaper.
Comments
I want my Tablet for Christmas!!!
Congratulations, AI, for calling it early (perhaps, first?), and sticking to your guns on some of your basic predictions (e.g., no budging from your prediction of first quarter of CY 2010).
Think of all the trees that won't get cut down because of the Apple Tablet replacing all the paper publications.
At the same time, trees are planted so that they can be cut down and used for paper... If the land doesn't have a value has a forest, it might be used for something more profitable and less ecologically sound.
This is IT. The future has arrived, sooner!
AppleInsider story doesn't mention this. Curious as to why? Isn't that misleading to suggest it's the rumored Apple tablet?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/02/t...ure-anger-abo/
I wonder if they had a little help with this demo from their friends at Apple.
The tablet is a fictional illustration that could very well be based on something that Apple is putting together.
Engadget said the demo was done on a HP Laptop.
AppleInsider story doesn't mention this. Curious as to why? Isn't that misleading to suggest it's the rumored Apple tablet?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/02/t...ure-anger-abo/
Actually what they said was "The company not only buzzed everyone with the charming walkthough video -- a floating hand paging through SI on a sleek, black tablet (embedded after the break) -- but also had a live, functioning variation of the product up and running on a touchscreen HP laptop"
The tablet is a fictional illustration that could very well be based on something that Apple is putting together.
OK, how about TechCrunches article that claims
The demo was shown on an HP table computer with a touchscreen, but it could easily be ported to an iPhone or an Apple iTablet, whenever that becomes available.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/02...ital-magazine/
Do you really think Apple is going to go along with a digital magazine concept based on Adobe Air as the article says the demo was done with?
It would make it much more portable to Google Android than it would the Apple Tablet that has been rumored for the last 10 years.
Engadget said the demo was done on a HP Laptop...
You expected them to do the demo on an Apple tablet?!
Still, it's a major success on Apple's part that they've been able to convince large media outlets to actually pursue a new business model, specifically one dependent on Apple. This is quite possibly bigger than Apple's taming of the RIAA, given the general "the customer is always wrong" attitude of mainstream media.
The publishers need to design for multiple platforms not just Apple.
Adobe already runs on Google Android Mobile Platform. It doesn't run well on OSX (any version) and isn't compatible with the iPhone.
I seem to be missing where Apple comes into this picture? Other than they have a rumored device that is going to be betwen 200 & 2,000 dollars and will run an operation system still unknown.
Edit. Google's OS is going to be free. This could be why they created Google Chrome OS to run on a tablet.
Adobe already runs on Google Android Mobile Platform.
Adobe is a company.
Apple scoring another green coup
Think of all the trees that won't get cut down because of the Apple Tablet replacing all the paper publications.
Speaking of ?green?, the music industry wasn?t hurting when Apple came along and wanted to sell music online, but the publishers are hurting. This is a way they can save their business and increase their profits.
I won?t pay for a magazine anymore and won?t pay for online newspapers, but I would consider paying for magazines and newspapers to arrive on my tablet automatically like Podcasts get DLed.
The publishers need to design for multiple platforms not just Apple.
If iTunes LP and iTunes Extras are any indication of things to come then the use of HTML, CSS and JS to build these mags is already set in motion. Having each one DRMed for certain content or packaged in a way that it?s protected on the device isn?t much of an issue.