iPad Magazine Teasers

A number of publications are putting out teasers of what their content will look like on the upcoming iPad. It's easy to be seduced by the razzle and dazzle of it all and quite frankly it looks fun and impressive. Of course there are a lot of questions that simply won't be answered until a few months after this thing actually hits the street. Will readers and advertisers actually pay to be in and consume this content? We've all grown accustomed the the notion that "content wants to be free." And it has been for a good ten years now. Good luck putting that genie back in the bottle. I'm also curious about the use and interface of these apps / digital magazines. While certain functions, like pinching and swiping, are now second nature to many it appears as if each publication will also have it's own unique navigation and user interface. See the 3 clips below. This could be a nightmare. If every publication requires you to uniquely learn how to use it in order to navigate the content it's going to frustrate and exhaust new readers very quickly. I can imagine an arms race of slickness. "It's so cool but I have no idea how the hell to find or do anything." At some point, organically or through quiet collusion, all of these publishers will have to adopt some kind of universal layout and user interface. Otherwise it's going to be a dizzying mess out there.




Wired Magazine on the iPad



Interview Magazine on the iPad




Sports Illustrated Magazine on the iPad