Magazine Industry Already Preparing for Possible Apple Tablet
Ad Age reports that the print industry is not sitting idly by while it becomes increasingly obvious that Apple is planning to enter the tablet market. In fact, these traditional publishers are worried that Apple may quickly dominate the industry in the same way they dominated the music industry with iTunes and the iPod.
As a result, publishers are discussing the creation of an industry-wide digital storefront to allow customers to purchase digital content and subscriptions in an effort to bypass whatever solution Apple might provide.
As a result, publishers are discussing the creation of an industry-wide digital storefront to allow customers to purchase digital content and subscriptions in an effort to bypass whatever solution Apple might provide.
It's true that magazine and newspaper publishers are eager to sell digital editions tailored for the tablet and other devices -- but they're just as determined to prevent Apple from getting between them and their readers along the way.
These concerns don't appear to be unfounded, as reports have described Apple's plans as "redefining" print media. Sources within The New York Times claim that Apple has already approached the newspaper regarding plans to distribute its content on a "new device".Top Rated Comments
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31 months ago
hum, I imagine apple would require them to use the itunes store, and just make their store inaccessible from the device. I would welcome the competing storefront if it meant lower prices for consumers.
31 months ago
You fight for your papers? Keep them! You fight for your bank account? She will be wealthier and more powerful than ever before! You fight for you readership? You will be proclaimed warlord of all paper, answerable only to the one true master of the world! NYT, your victory will be complete if you but lay down your arms, and kneel to holy Jobs.
31 months ago
Traditional publishers wake the hell up! It is 2009 and they have been floundering for years. If they couldn't figure out how to make the shift, let Apple show them the way.
31 months ago
This is an interesting report, since what it is suggesting is that Apple has made a "Kindle-esque" tablet device, but with the distinction that it is integrated into the iTunes Store ...
... the potential is clear: the consumer signs up (buys) various weekly/monthly magazine subscriptions (eventually: daily Newspaper), which are simple "PodCast" -like downloads onto the device.
From the AT&T angle, one would expect that this would more likely be default as WiFi instead of 3G (current cost of bandwidth), but in either case, it would be capable of being synched either directly, and/or to a home desktop computer (preferably Mac).
What makes this interesting is the resistance to it by the potential content providers - - particularly because this is a competitive business: all it takes is for one of the weaker (or "more in trouble") publishers to agree, and it is going to be hard to resist.
Personally, I see & expect that the traditional Publishers will try to keep control by trying to keep their e-Publishing in-house.
The problem with this is that they don't have hardware ... and/or they'll have to try to support a bunch of hardware devices ... plus they have to figure out how to encourage the retail consumer to come to their website to buy their product.
Thus, Apple shows up on their doorstep with a turnkey solution .. but at a price.
The hardcopy publishing industry isn't in healthy enough shape to remain a solid & unified front of resistance to Apple. Someone will fold, and then the rest will pragmatically be forced to follow ... it will always be reluctantly, because it wasn't their idea and it wasn't on their terms.
The real question is which publishers will be so opposed that they would rather go out of business than change.
-hh
... the potential is clear: the consumer signs up (buys) various weekly/monthly magazine subscriptions (eventually: daily Newspaper), which are simple "PodCast" -like downloads onto the device.
From the AT&T angle, one would expect that this would more likely be default as WiFi instead of 3G (current cost of bandwidth), but in either case, it would be capable of being synched either directly, and/or to a home desktop computer (preferably Mac).
What makes this interesting is the resistance to it by the potential content providers - - particularly because this is a competitive business: all it takes is for one of the weaker (or "more in trouble") publishers to agree, and it is going to be hard to resist.
Personally, I see & expect that the traditional Publishers will try to keep control by trying to keep their e-Publishing in-house.
The problem with this is that they don't have hardware ... and/or they'll have to try to support a bunch of hardware devices ... plus they have to figure out how to encourage the retail consumer to come to their website to buy their product.
Thus, Apple shows up on their doorstep with a turnkey solution .. but at a price.
The hardcopy publishing industry isn't in healthy enough shape to remain a solid & unified front of resistance to Apple. Someone will fold, and then the rest will pragmatically be forced to follow ... it will always be reluctantly, because it wasn't their idea and it wasn't on their terms.
The real question is which publishers will be so opposed that they would rather go out of business than change.
-hh
31 months ago
So these newspapers already have paper and online versions. Now they're worried Apple is going to cannibalize the portable market? The newspaper companies are not going to be the ones building a device together that they can all distribute content on as that's not their business/business model. You would figure any additional means to get their content out there and receive revenue from it would be welcome; especially in this day and age.
31 months ago
They're probably smart to be trying this, but ultimately I think it will be bad for consumers if they're successful. Apple isn't just on top of the music selling industry because they offered a solution, it's because they offered the best solution. I would hate to see publishers reject Apple's good ideas and instead go to the market with a half-baked solution of their own.
31 months ago
More power to Apple
To probably horribly mispell,misquote and marmalise Public Enemy:
Right on, c'mon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
Fight the pow-errrr!
To probably horribly mispell,misquote and marmalise Public Enemy:
Right on, c'mon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
Fight the pow-errrr!
31 months ago
Publishers have always relied on distribution partners to get their products in front of customer eyeballs. I don't think their goal should be to shut Apple out. They do want to make sure there are viable competitors, though, to ensure Apple doesn't get a stranglehold on their electronic distribution.
That said, I doubt an industry consortium will be able to compete with Apple on something so dependent on the user experience like a storefront would be.
They need to make sure not to sign exclusive deals with Apple or others -- then they'll all be all right. Those deals always look good (lucrative) in the short term, but end up either (1) fragmenting the market if each publisher has exclusive deals with different distribution partners -- which constrains the entire market, keeping it small; or (2) making a single distributor too dominant if the distributor gets too many exclusive deals from the major publishers.
If a distributor becomes dominant without exclusive deals (as Apple did in the music business), it's because they provide a superior service. That's not a great position for the publishers, because they want to maintain control, but it is better than the alternative: not selling all the content the distributor sold for them.
That said, I doubt an industry consortium will be able to compete with Apple on something so dependent on the user experience like a storefront would be.
They need to make sure not to sign exclusive deals with Apple or others -- then they'll all be all right. Those deals always look good (lucrative) in the short term, but end up either (1) fragmenting the market if each publisher has exclusive deals with different distribution partners -- which constrains the entire market, keeping it small; or (2) making a single distributor too dominant if the distributor gets too many exclusive deals from the major publishers.
If a distributor becomes dominant without exclusive deals (as Apple did in the music business), it's because they provide a superior service. That's not a great position for the publishers, because they want to maintain control, but it is better than the alternative: not selling all the content the distributor sold for them.
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