Unless you’ve been living in a tech-deprived lala land for the past few years, you know the media revolution is here. Changing media trends have forced magazine publishers to reach out to consumers in new ways via tablets and e-readers.
Microsoft introduced the concept of a tablet PC back in 2001 – yeah, they’ve been around that long. The real push for companies to jump on the tablet bandwagon, however, didn’t come until April 2010, when Apple released the first generation iPad. Now, companies ranging from Apple to Motorola to Barnes and Noble offer some sort of tablet technology.
While the demand for tablet media had been increasing since the release of the iPad, publishing companies were hesitant at first to make the shift from print to digital. And for good reason. Until recently, Apple refused to offer consumers a subscription model for digital magazines. But this summer, everything changed.
First, Apple struck deals with publishing giants Hearst and Condé Nast, and last month, Time Inc. announced that all of its magazine titles will be available in the app store by the end of the year. Clearly, print editions are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
The biggest difference users see with tablet magazines is speed. Print and digital mags typically feature the same stories, but additional content – like interactive infographics and video – are just a finger’s tap away in digital formats. Readability is different, too. Instead of flipping through every page in a printed publication, tablet users can search for keywords and find stories immediately. Talk about instant gratification.
Of course, as with any new media format, digital mags have their downfalls. One of the biggest complaints about tablet magazines is actually geared toward the tablets themselves – screen glare. The tablets work great in low lights, but add some sun into the mix and you might as well say sayonara.
Another iPad-specific complaint is geared toward the program Adobe Flash. Apple’s refusal to permit Flash-compatible content to work on their products has always been an issue. And unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for the problem – save for a rumored cheat that bypasses the blockade (but you didn’t read about that here).
Since making its debut in 2010, tablets have rapidly been taking the media world by storm. The least you can do is pick one up and see why for yourself. Just be careful not to drop them from cloud nine – they’re pretty fragile.