TAKEAWAY: Today, odds and ends from the iPad world as I fly to London for a keynote presentation at the WoodWing World Tour
Apple and newspaper subscriptions
A story in the San Jose Mercury News reports that Apple may soon announce a new subscription plan for newspapers, making easier for iPad users to order the newspaper of their choice, while providing media companies those very hoped for profits through the tablets. Of course, Apple, too, will profit, perhaps getting 30% of the take for each subscription for its role as facilitator.
This may be welcome by some newspaper publishers, since one of the tough issues usually discussed as we prepare newspaper/magazine apps for launch is the “revenue model” and how to charge for the content that will go into the iPad. At the same time, many newspaper publishers have come up with successful models of their own, sans Apple, which may be more profitable for them in the long run. Like so many things related to the iPad, one does not know for sure, and I figure that it may take as long as two years for many of these issues to sort themselves out.
The iPad and wireless printer
We are one step closer to using our iPad for one more practical step: getting content printed.
Apple has announced that it is releasing a beta version of its AirPrint wireless printing for iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch® to members of Apple’s iOS developer program, and that AirPrint will be included in the free iOS 4.2 software update in November.
AirPrint automatically finds printers on local networks and can print text, photos and graphics to them wirelessly over Wi-Fi without the need to install drivers or download software. HP’s existing and upcoming ePrint enabled printers will be the first to support printing direct from iOS devices.
What a great bit of news, as I find myself emailing myself stuff from the iPad to my MacBook to get it printed. The little tablet that can gets more attractive and user friendly all the time.
Two Murdoch iPad newspapers in the making?
Well, we had already heard of the one iPad newspaper that Murdoch’s team is currently planning very enthusiastically in New York City. Our friend—-that very talented idea man, Alfredo Triviño——is doing the London to NYC commute often to work on this project, for which there is great curiosity as well as expectation in the industry . As I told Al recently: I would like to be a fly on the ewall of those conference rooms to see how the planning of this iPad paper proceeds! We will see it soon enough.
Now, however, news comes that a second Murdoch project (of the digital kind?) may be in the makings. Poynter’s Romeneskoreports about a “hush-hush unit being set up for News Corporation under the aegis of the Wall Street Journal’s managing editor Robert Thomson” to create this new project, whatever it turns out to be.
The most interesting part of this item to me is that the man named editor in chief is another friend, Jim Pensiero, with whom I worked so closely on everyone of those WSJ redesign projects. Thomson could not have made a better choice. Pensiero is a veteran of the WSJ, savvy about traditional journalism, but with a keen eye for everything digital, an open mind, and one of the most cordial and friendly (and smart) editors with whom I ever worked. If, as I have said before, print is the mother’s milk of the tablet edition, then the WSJ will provide the right formula with Pensiero at the helm.
I wrote Pensiero an email congratulating him on his selection. He replied with a thanks last night and added: “the headline here is that this is not an IPad assignment”
And, he teased with: “Details to follow”. We await for them eagerly.