Is iPad the print publishing killler we been waiting for?

[Tech]

Surely, everyone have heard or read about Apple's new iPad. While I think it stills needs some work in some areas but I think the ultimately eReader is finally here. I'll be surprise at the price point of $500 that it doesn't start killing off netbooks and loads of wannabe ebook readers at launch.

Of course, I'll wait until I get one in my hands in March to have a proper assessment of the device and how it works as a eReader. Despite good sales record on Amazon's Kindle, it never had any appeal to me. Most eReaders up to this point are one-trick ponies that can only run in a straight line. iPad on the other hand will have countless possibilities.

iPad has a few great things working for it: 1) it'll be driven by apps 2) it'll be driven by people who truly understands the available technology 3) responsive touch screen can finally link the end user with what one is reading on screen 4) the ability to handle multimedia opens up the possibility for color college interactive ebook, otherwise not feasibility on Kindle or Nook or any current eReaders.

I have been in publishing for a long time. I have seen the days of B&W Apple SE. I have seen the days when designers work with rubber cement. We went from film to plate to DTP. We have come a long way. While I don't think publishing will die off completely, I do think iPad will be a huge game changer and slowly take a big chunk of business out of publishing. The only good thing publishing got going for it right now is that most content publishers still don't fully understand how-to manage their contents correctly using DAM and without being wasteful in the hopes of preparing for all things ebook or e-whatever. I'm watching my own company wasting precious human resources on putting contents into a a strict DAM system...it's frustrating, funny and sad all at the same time. It's like they have no vision of what is out there, they just know they are preparing for something new.

 

[Lukas Engqvist]

I remember seeing the release of the PhotoCD in late 80's or was it early 90's. The idea that photo's would be digital at all seemed to be sheer myth. That was about the same time we were toggling on and off the cache processors. And Desktop computers were backed up on floppies.
The PhotoCD as launched then has allready been and gone, what is definate is that photo's are digital, and seem unarguably that is the way it ought to be. It will be a milestone. iPhone did put it's mark on what we demand from a phone.

Processing, formating, editing, refining and validating information will be a growing need. Communication is in the core of humanity. So yes it does offer exciting possibilities.
At the same time we will see that some things will probably stay analouge. I think Direct mail is going to hit where any spam or banners can't. I see an increase in the number of catalouges as internet shops thrive. A hand written letter communicates that someone is personally taking time and energy to write, envelope and post rather than just e-mail.
Somehow we still need the tactile pages for things not to be so abstract.
The medium is part of the message.

 

[WiseGuy]

Tech,
You forgot one very important aspect about Apple and the iPad. Apple has distribution nailed! As eBooks move into iTunes and the content builds with them and others such as Amazon this will attract many new users. It will be interesting to see how this affects publishing over time. If we look at the music and video industry it's easy to assume, books will go digital too.

I remember about 15 years ago having a conversation with Frank Romano at one of the many crazy conferences that use to be around. We were talking about the affects of computers and PDF of all things on printed material such as books. Frank made an analogy that always stuck with me... his point had to do with the Bathroom test. "The day you can take it with you to the bathroom, then people will want to go digital". Or something to that affect. His point was print was portable. Take it with you on a bus, in the bathroom, toss it in your bag, go anywhere and access it anytime as long as you had light to read. Well... I guess we're past that point now and the eReaders and Tablets now make that possible AND make it possible to get new content just about anyplace you are.

It will be interesting to see where we are in 10 years.

 

[Tech]

I remember seeing the release of the PhotoCD in late 80's or was it early 90's. The idea that photo's would be digital at all seemed to be sheer myth. That was about the same time we were toggling on and off the cache processors. And Desktop computers were backed up on floppies.
The PhotoCD as launched then has allready been and gone, what is definate is that photo's are digital, and seem unarguably that is the way it ought to be. It will be a milestone. iPhone did put it's mark on what we demand from a phone.

Processing, formating, editing, refining and validating information will be a growing need. Communication is in the core of humanity. So yes it does offer exciting possibilities.
At the same time we will see that some things will probably stay analouge. I think Direct mail is going to hit where any spam or banners can't. I see an increase in the number of catalouges as internet shops thrive. A hand written letter communicates that someone is personally taking time and energy to write, envelope and post rather than just e-mail.
Somehow we still need the tactile pages for things not to be so abstract.
The medium is part of the message.

The big arguments for print materials has always been one of two things: 1) content 2) tactile. If you break down how we use only sight and touch out of the five senses when it comes to reading. Print will lose someday, maybe not now, not tomorrow, but soon... as technology is becoming more versatile and allow us to interact with all of our five senses.

No digital device can replace tactile feel of a printed product, and the real question is, will anyone care when the total sum of their overall reading experience is far greater? Will people really miss holding newspapers that rubs ink on their fingers? Will anyone care if a leather ebook cover doesn't feel like it, yet the content is finally an interactive full-color multimedia in the palms of their hands?

 

[Tech]

Tech,
You forgot one very important aspect about Apple and the iPad. Apple has distribution nailed! As eBooks move into iTunes and the content builds with them and others such as Amazon this will attract many new users. It will be interesting to see how this affects publishing over time. If we look at the music and video industry it's easy to assume, books will go digital too.

I remember about 15 years ago having a conversation with Frank Romano at one of the many crazy conferences that use to be around. We were talking about the affects of computers and PDF of all things on printed material such as books. Frank made an analogy that always stuck with me... his point had to do with the Bathroom test. "The day you can take it with you to the bathroom, then people will want to go digital". Or something to that affect. His point was print was portable. Take it with you on a bus, in the bathroom, toss it in your bag, go anywhere and access it anytime as long as you had light to read. Well... I guess we're past that point now and the eReaders and Tablets now make that possible AND make it possible to get new content just about anyplace you are.

It will be interesting to see where we are in 10 years.

I agree and I like the bathroom test analogy (come to think of it, most current portable devices you can bring into a public bathroom but can you do it discreetly is a different question).

Portability plays a very vital role but so does the pricing of the device and available contents. I think Apple is smart enough to lock in deals with some of the biggest names in publishing and went with open source epub format. As I mention before, Apple will have to rely on smart app developers to fully exploit the capabilities of what Steve Jobs had envision for the device. I believe the man is well aware of that himself.

 

[gordo]

The big arguments for print materials has always been one of two things: 1) content 2) tactile.

I think you miss two other even bigger arguments for print materials - permanence and accessibility.
For example, when Kodak bought Creo in 2005, I was part of a small group formed to produce a commemorative book - "A Story of Creo" It was a brutal experience because, being a "high tech" company, most of the archived material was in digital format, spread across, ZIP and Bernoulli drives, 3.5" optical disks, and buried in server farms. Much of it was inaccessible - just try and find a micro optical drive to read the disk - oh, and try and find a computer that you can attach a SCSI cable to so that you can attach that drive. Even if we could mount a ZIP disk we would likely receive an error message like, "This disk is unreadable or corrupt" or "This disk is not formatted for this operating system. Format disk?"

Bottom line - much of the history of the company was no longer accessible or no longer a useable record. An that was for data that was, at the time, only about 10 years old. So, for much of the resource material we ended up scanning photographs, books, and magazines that employees had tucked away in their closets.
And I don't think that it is realistic for all digital assets worldwide to be continuously rearchived every time some new OS, file format or storage system is released.

I own books that go back to 1810 that are still very readable. Do you really think that in 2210 any of the digital documents that have been created for today's ebooks will still be accessible? Somehow, I think not.

best, gordon p

Below - "Memories" illustrated by Jessie M King - TN Foulis Publishers, 1910

Below - "The Nav'vi" - James Cameron Publisher, 2154

 

[jbeniston]

I don't think that this device will be the end of publishing. It will find its niche and be absorbedi n to the general miasma of electronics users. When all the fuss is over and done with, people will still like to read a book or the newspaper. At least on the bus or subway or coffee shop you can read your newspaper and leave it on the seat for the next guy. Electronics are cool but they don't have and never will the feeling of a book or newspaper. People like tactile things and electronic devices just don't have it.
I don't want to read a book on an i.pad, however cool that might be. I want a real book. When I'm travelling by plane or train and when I'm tucked up in my hotel bed I'm not slightly interested in an i.pad. I, and I think millions of others, want a book, a real dyed in the wool book, with a cover and real pages I can turn. Nothing can beat them for portabiltiy, life cycle and guess what the batteries never die out.

 

[Alois Senefelder]

Color Printing's great Advantage

Color Printing's great Advantage

Hello Gentlemen,

A PDF that I hope will be of Interest and Value - but first a little digression !!!!

" And indeed there will be time
To wonder, "Do I dare? and, Do I dare?"
Time to turn back and descend the stair, with a bald spot in the middle of my hair ----
They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!"
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, my necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin --- Do I dare - Disturb the universe?

Poem by T. S. Eloit


Regards, Alois

 

[Ian Mackenzie]

The economics need to be looked at...

The economics need to be looked at...

....not just the technology.

While I certainly dont want to come across like I believe that digital delivery of media is over-hyped, I do want to get a firm grasp on how on-demand access meets out of pocket cash requirements.

So, if I understand the iPad (and like devices correctly), "I" would need the 3G version with some storage space.

That's the $699 version, not the $499 one.

I will also need a new provider plan from ATT - that's at least $30.00/mo. Maybe more.

That leaves me with $1,059 in first year out of pocket expense...but wait...I havent even ordered "content" yet.

I need the following:

New York Times - $12.95/mo.
Economist - $6.95/mo.
Sports Illustrated - $4.95/mo.

That's another $300.00/yr.
add that to my growing cable bill, my company cell phone bill, my kids and wife's cell phone bills, home internet, home phone bill.

That adds up to me - and I believe many others - to be digital dollars overload. OK, so I can dump the home phone soon, consolidate the cable bill, add the iPad to my compnay's Verizon plan when the exclusive deal with ATT runs out later this year.

But still, I believe that the "market is never wrong" and this digital offering, compelling as it is, will need to offer a more tangible cost savings for ME outside of the publisher's benefit of being able to constantly bombard me with concisely targeted socio-economically perfect ads.

 

[Tech]

All very good counter points and feedbacks.

@Gordo,
"permanence" is a very very interesting point. It's one thing to own and possess an antique but a complete animal of how much you actually get out of it. I still own some books from my youth and college days, but the reasons I kept them is more for nostalgic reasons than for it's contents. Content can be reproduced easily, you of all people on this forum should understand that very well. The "accessibility" point has already been mention via the "bathroom" analogy.

@jbeniston,
I already acknowledge iPad or whatever eReaders out there will never "kill" printing/publishing completely. It will no doubt take a big bite out of the industry slowly. How long that takes will depend on how successful iPad and it's near future upgrades (or it's competitors) will be.

@Alois
Your attached PDF article mentioned two things that makes very little sense, when was the last time you saw someone smelling a book or any printed material for that matter? When was the last time, someone mention to you they love the sounds of pages flipping (assuming they even noticed)? The latter, can easily be reproduced easily via sound recording and be embedded into multimedia ebooks.

@Ian
For a long time, I'm a skeptic like you with all things digital. Look no further and see how far we have come with usages of personal computers. My brothers and I shared our first 286x computer in the late '80s when our parents paid a heavy price for it. At the time, we had no idea how much $$$ that was. We were only excited to play "computer" games on it.

The fact is, cost over time always reduces with each newer generation of devices. iPad will be no exception. BTW, unless you are on the go 24/7, you don't need 3G. With a little effort, Wifi model should get you plenty of access points.

--------------------------------

BTW, I like this kind of open discussion and feedbacks. I think we are on to something and learning something about ourselves at the same time.

Muchas gracias,
Tech

 

[gordo]

All very good counter points and feedbacks.

@Gordo,
"permanence" is a very very interesting point. It's one thing to own and possess an antique but a complete animal of how much you actually get out of it. I still own some books from my youth and college days, but the reasons I kept them is more for nostalgic reasons than for it's contents. Content can be reproduced easily, you of all people on this forum should understand that very well. The "accessibility" point has already been mention via the "bathroom" analogy.

I think you missed the point of my Creo story. Accessibility in the bathroom is one thing - it is current information in digital form and hence is likely accessible. However, digital accessibility tends to break down over time. I have a box of 3.5 floppy and optical disks, and ZIP disks - but I can no longer access them because the technology has changed over a short ten year time. But I can access the contents of a 100 year old, or older, book because the technology of the printed book allows it to maintain accessibility over time and despite technological changes.
Permanence is somewhat different - since nothing is truly permanent. Even so, a printed book, under typical environmental conditions will outlast digital media (while maintaining its accessibility).

The images I created on my 128K MAC for a corporate brochure for Quebecor are easily viewed in the printed piece - but the digital originals are long gone on media that can no longer be accessed.

Yes, you can reproduce content relatively easily these days, however achieving permanence and accessibility is not so easy.


best, gordon p

One of my favorite scenes from BladeRunner sums it up quite well:
WerenotcomputersSebastianwerephysic.flv video by gordonpritchard - Photobucket

 

[Tech]

@Gordo,
Nope, I don't think I misunderstood you at all. The truth of your Creo story isn't about how short digital medium have on shelves, rather it's about how quickly and often it's being updated and replaced with the newest solution in digital storage. If you knew ten-fifteen years ago, that in 2010, you can purchase 2TB hard drive for $100 would you have bother with floppies, zip-drive, CD, DVD? Hard drives are better these days and more stable. Although it can still breakdown after certain time. The breakdown of digital formats/storage is why the latest emphasis in recent years are on having multiple backups and the current push for cloud computing and storage (on top of having the convenience to retrieve your data at any location).

 

[gordo]

@Gordo,
The breakdown of digital formats/storage is why the latest emphasis in recent years are on having multiple backups and the current push for cloud computing and storage (on top of having the convenience to retrieve your data at any location).

You have so much confidence - and I so little.

best, gordon p

PS, It would be great if you could get me access to the original CTP forum from 1996 as I would love to reread some of those posts.
Also, around 2000 Metropolitan Fine Printers won a "They said it couldn't be done" award that was presented at GraphExpo. It caused quite a sensation at the time and was all over the internets. It was for the very high lpi AM screening they achieved. I'm trying to find a digital copy of the poster, as well as find out the actual lpi that was used.

 

[John Clifford]

As much as I love books (real books) and am indebted to the printing industry that I have been a member of for over 40 years, I think that we are in a revolution. Many of the arguments, while valid, will tend to be dismissed as time moves forward. I remember, as a phototypographer, that the hot metal people said that photo type could never equal the quality of hot metal and is only a passing fad (turned out to be true but not for the reasons they thought). The same with letterpress vs. offset. Who would want a book without the "bite" of the type impressed into the page? Likewise film vs. ctp. And I'm sure we could go back to any technology. There were those who derided the "horseless carriage" as impractical and something no one would ever really want when they could have a good old reliable horse.

Whether it's the iPad, Kindle, or some future device, it looks like much of what we see printed today will end up as an electronic version. I've already seen people on the train with a leather bound kindle reading in what even looks like they're reading a book.

I think Frank's bathroom test is about to be reached. I think that the next step will be hardware (epaper?) that will be somewhat disposable so that you can leave it on the seat of the bus or train for the next reader. While that will probably not happen soon, it's probably closer than we think. I know that I would have lost a lot of money backing Kodak's film business (if I had been inclined to invest) using the same arguments I'm seeing here.

Oh, and Gordo, you might want to mention the Rosetta Disk project. No one has real faith in digital archival.

 

[Gregg]

As someone who has been preparing book files, for print, for over 10 years, and now is preparing book files for print and eBook on a daily basis, I have to say I like all the attention that books, in general, are getting with all of this new technology.

As many have mentioned - it will be an interesting couple of years...

 

[John W]

One more issue I think needs to be considered. We learned from Marshall McLuhan that both the sender and the receiver have a purpose or agenda. If the receiver wants electronic delivery, the pressure to rid said receiver of hard copy will be formidable. I refer of course to every younger generation.
Personally, I see the value in spending $12.95 a month for the newspaper instead of 300+ dollars per year for my current Toronto Star to be delivered on a daily basis.
John W

 

[HowieFenton]

What I like and don't like about iPAD

What I like and don't like about iPAD

Like many other people I watch with envy and desire Apple’s announcements of new products on my computer on the Apple site. This year the picture quality of the presentation was better than usual and when Steve Jobs sat down to demo the new iPad I felt like he was sitting in my living room.

I suspect that I am not much different in the process of evaluating new products and placing them on a measuring bar of purchasing likelihood. At the top of the bar is, “yes I will drive to my local Apple store and buy it when it is released.” A little further down the bar is the, “lets wait for the next version and read other people’s reviews.” I was tied up in sales calls in Portland, Oregon, on the day the iPad was announced so I watched it after I arrived back home that evening on one of my Mac laptops. Admittedly not a lot is known or has been written but after watching Steve Jobs I did some Google news searches and came to the following conclusions.

What I like: I love the fact that it is so light in weight and the screen appears crystal clear like an iPhone or Macbook Pro. The fact that you can browse the web, use it for email and read newspapers like the NY Times or books similar to a Kindle is very appealing. The ability to log onto my wireless network at home or in a coffee shop is a plus. Ten hours of battery life is amazing and the ability to play movies on planes or type into a word processor is a big plus.

What I don’t like: I am not happy about the lack of general computer functionality. I would have preferred more fully functional and universal software meaning the ability to run the MS Office software applications such as MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The ideal Apple tablet for me would give me the ability to run the same or a paired down version of the existing Mac OS and software I am currently running on my desktop and laptop Macs.

I don’t like the fact and frankly worried about web browsing experience when it does not run Flash. I hate it when anyone limits my port options such as no USB ports to transfer information from other computers, no printing capability and no video out port for slide presentations. I don’t like the lack of the simplest of multi-tasking functions such as downloading a file while composing an email. While I like the option of adding a keyboard, I just don’t like a screen-based keyboard. I like some of the newer options in which the screen keyboards click or vibrate to give you some feedback on your typing - which I do not think it offers.

While the ability of showing off pictures and playing games will be important to some people, it is not something that is that important to me. The fact that you can use it like an iPod is great but the size of the current IPod Nanos is hard to beat.

While $500 is a good entry point if the price history of the IPhone is any indication, it could drop $100 in price in a year. For people like me, the total cost will be almost twice as much. Like with most Macs you will have to spend a few hundred dollars more for more memory, 3G downloading, and a 3 year protection plan bringing it closer to the $1,000 price mark.

The 3G price options make it more attractive, but there are some things that could make it more appealing. While the two 3G pricing plans are attractive, I would rather not pay for the basic telecommunication options such as email. For example, with the Kindle you get email capability for free. Also ATT is under some intense pressure from these commercials criticizing their 3G coverage. Why not offer a bundle deal that is less expensive for those already using their cell phone options.

In summary, on my bar of purchasing intentions at this point in time I am going to adopt a let’s see what other reviews say and see what changes are made in the next version.

 

[teagle]

Also, around 2000 Metropolitan Fine Printers won a "They said it couldn't be done" award that was presented at GraphExpo. It caused quite a sensation at the time and was all over the internets. It was for the very high lpi AM screening they achieved. I'm trying to find a digital copy of the poster, as well as find out the actual lpi that was used.

I don't recall the Metropolitan Fine Printers example. However, something similar was on the cover of the January 2000 Printing Impressions (conveniently sitting on a bookshelf nearby...)

Perhaps this is what you are referring to? http://www.faustprinting.com/main.htm

If Metropolitan eclipsed this, I'd like to read about/see it as well (assuming you ever find it.)

 

[William Campbell]

The iPad looks great for sure. I especially like the price, so "un-Apple." I was shocked even, pleasantly. It's about time. But the hype about it killing other ebook readers is absurd. There's no doubt Apple will bring the idea of ebooks to the mainstream with a snazzy device (as usual, and that's no criticism). And they are talented at distribution, but so is Amazon, years ahead of Apple. The thing is, the iPad is a backlit display, like a notebook computer. We can read on those, too. And suffer the eye strain.

The "iPad as e-reader killer" comments usually come from those who have never seen, held, or read from a Kindle, which uses e-Ink technology. It's reflected light, and with a grasp of the leather cover for mine, it's easy to forget that you're reading from anything electronic (it works well in the bathroom as well, about the size of a 6x9 book, only thinner and containing hundreds of titles).

The screen is like an etch-a-sketch, that scrambles the dust each page and electronically arranges it look like the next page of text. Very cool, and the power consumption is low, mainly when you turn the page to scramble and redraw. Best of all, of the 400,000 or so titles available, I can have any one of them downloaded and ready to read before you finish this message. AND at no connectivity cost. Zero. That's included with Kindle. There is no monthly charge. And I can even surf the web, though it's just a mobile version, so nothing to get too excited about. Still, nearly free is a very good price (the device isn't cheap).

Apple will have catching up to do (and no doubt they will--that talent again). But still, being a back-lit screen, the device doesn't make the best e-reader. However, and I agree, being that the iPad can do so much more, acting as an e-reader is just a bonus, and could crack the mainstream nut, bringing more users to the ebook arena. Whether or not the iPad invigorates the ebook business as some might imagine, we will have to see. Of course, I hope that it does, being an author myself, whose sci-fi release on Kindle outsells the print version. That is encouraging, and of course, I wouldn't mind the iPad adding to it.

Another aspect I'm curious about is the gaming capability. It would seem like fun to rest it on your lap and let your fingers to the gaming. Like Megatouch at the bars. Though Megatouch isn't likely to license any games. They've got that niche locked up and plan to keep it that way. There's always knock-off clones...

At any rate, this future is looking like fun. I'm anxious for the iPad to arrive.

 

[oldschool]

I do not see the iPad as a killer of print publishing. I have a completely different vision for it. I see it as a killer to the "clipboard". We print and manufacture plastic cards here. Each supervisor (4 of us) walks around with a daily production list, 5-6 pages long. A laptop is far too cumbersome and a smart phone too small. I envsion WiFi through our plant constantly updating the schedule. No more flipping through a list to find job. Remove the time to print each list, paper and time spent browsing through a schedule, this may pay for itself in no time.
Just my two cents.