Publishers Plan New iPad Products

ipad

As expected, the unveiling of Apple's new iPad in January has triggered intense activity among newspaper and magazine publishers, which are rushing new digital versions of various publications tailored for the iPad to market. Conde Nast and Gannett Co. are among the first to get the new iPad versions of their publications out.

For its part, Conde Nast trumped the rest of the magazine world with its announcement that GQ would be the first consumer magazine available for the iPad when the new device begins shipping on April 3.

Conde has also said it is preparing iPad-compatible versions of a number of other titles, beginning with the June issues of Wired and Vanity Fair, to be followed at some later date this year by The New Yorker and Glamour.

Conde Nast has already introduced iPhone apps for a number of big titles, including a popular app for GQ, which was easily repurposed for the new iPad.

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Separately, Gannett's national flagship, USA Today, said it plans to have an iPad-compatible digital version of the newspaper available in the near future, making it the first national newspaper to do so. Like GQ, versions of USA Today are already available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which Gannett should be able to tweak for iPad distribution at relatively little cost.

The iPad is just the latest -- and arguably most buzzed-about -- in a series of new electronic devices intended to deliver a better mobile reading experience for newspapers, magazines and books. Predecessors and competitors include Amazon's Kindle devices, Sony's Reader, the Que ProReader from Plastic Logic, the DR-900 and DR-950 from Asus and the newly announced Samsung E60.

Even companies from outside the consumer electronics business are dabbling with e-readers. Hearst developed a new large-screen device called Skiff, while Barnes & Noble launched a device called Nook.

Earlier this week, Barnes & Noble announced that Jonathan Shar has been named general manager, digital newsstand and emerging content. In this role, he will oversee development and lead sales and marketing efforts for digital content for a number of newspapers, magazines and book publishers. Previously, Shar was senior vice president and general manager for CNNMoney.com.

2 comments about "Publishers Plan New iPad Products".
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  1. Jonathan Mirow from BroadbandVideo, Inc., March 11, 2010 at 11:38 a.m.

    Can't wait to spend big bucks on an iPad so I can pay for content (especially GQ!). The real question is, is the rest of the world as stupid as I am?

  2. Steven Duque from Jack Morton Worldwide, March 12, 2010 at 4:25 p.m.

    My thoughts, as co-founder and former publisher of The Harvard Voice, on the iPad's e-magazine pricing model and what publishers must do to get people in the mood to pay:

    http://stevenduque.com/2010/03/new-frontiers-ipad-e-magazine-pricing/

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