D’oh! Predicted the iPad name, but can’t prove it…

As the faithful gathered before His Steveness at the iPad event, I was reminded of Apple’s marketing brilliance. The tablet rumors were well managed, with plausibly deniable leaks to the fans, media and stock analysts. Speculation built up to a suitably high level of excitement  (or anxiety) among publishers, software developers and e-reader rivals. And, as usual, Jobs delivered the demo in classic style.

The device itself opens many new opportunities for publishers and advertisers — which I’ll be discussing at length in an upcoming study on digital editions. I regret not having publicly discussed my prediction of the iPad name, so my bragging rights will have to be limited to a few colleagues and my (thankfully) tolerant family. Bragging aside, however, the iPad is a game-changer.

In the upcoming study, I’ll be discussing the value of paginated media. In the e-reader world, pages should not be mere fascimiles of their printed counterparts. They should be well-designed, functional “idea containers” for creating what I call sequential engagement. An e-page may add interactivity and new media components, but it should not abandon those qualities that made pages desirable in the first place. A truly functional e-reader — probably led by the iPad example — can provide the best of both worlds.

The Apple iPad will allow magazine, newspaper and other publishers to retain the intrinsic value of paginated media, while adding interactive and new media components not possible with print. The question is: can publishers and advertisers build products worthy of a truly functional reader platform?

Just another Apple Tablet publishing blog

Apple’s e-reader marketing people are in real trouble. Currently there are only 1.3 million Google hits on the phrase “apple tablet” — so they need  more speculation from publishing analysts like me. (Bing results are much better — over 38 million — but who uses Bing anyway.) Clearly, Apple needs our help.

The viral buzz surrounding Apple’s upcoming device is so extraordinary that existing e-reader hardware vendors are probably in panic mode. Justifiably so. In the music player and smartphone categories, Apple is the brand to fear, in spite of huge problems with AT&T bandwidth and the devices’ unfortunate environmental foo0tprint. Perception is reality, and the Apple tablet is the new black.

For publishers — particularly magazines, but also books and newspapers — the device represents a unique opportunity. It may offer a more ergonomically satisfying reading experience, or a host of other conveniences and benefits that e-reader evangelists have been touting for years. All that is irrelevant. Printed magazines have provided satisfying, convenient experiences for years, and you won’t have a coronary if your printed magazine gets dropped in the tub. The real key is engagement. The proliferation of iPhone applications — both significant and trivial — has proven that a small screen device can scratch the itch that magazines have historically done: engaging the reader/viewer with a personal experience — one that he or she “owns” or controls. To be sure, one’s control over a printed magazine article is limited, but it is real. Readers control when and where they engage with the story. That is why a digital edition must offer more than just reading convenience.

So, what does this mean for publishers? First, they must become true e-media professionals, with a practical grasp of cross-media (or perhaps more accurately “output-agnostic” media) technology and standards. More importantly, however, they must become developers of engaging applications for the Apple tablet and other e-reader and smartphone devices. Telling a good story is still vital, but we must learn to do it in the language of the new medium. That means new business models and new alliances. Welcome to the brave new world.

See John Blog (a publishing pundit enters the 21st Century)

My passion has always been about publishing and communications, in the tradition of visionaries like Jonathan Seybold. So, at long last, after years of writing about publishing and media technologies, I’ve finally gotten around to setting up a WordPress blog. (I’m not a complete stranger to the medium. I’ve blogged before, as Editorial Director of The Seybold Report which — alas — has gone in a different direction.)

So, what should I blog about? My past editorial topics often include rants about trendy technology. Publishing mavens are often attracted by new “sparklies” that may or may not be advancing our profession. My Seybold coverage of Twitter, for example, included some cranky remarks about how it — like all new developments — can be blown out of proportion, clouding the issue of why we publish. However, the Luddite response to Twitter, et al., is ill advised. Most of the “back in my day” complaining is based on comfort with technology that was, at one time, just as disruptive. So, I’ll keep the commentary constructive, wherever possible.

With that in mind, I will weigh in on a wide variety of publishing- and communication-related topics. There is much to be excited about, and many pitfalls to avoid. The point is to keep the discussion moving forward. Stay tuned.

John Parsons