First things first: This is the 100th post on this blog. Thank you for reading over the past year. If you’re new to this blog, please subscribe to the newsletter or via RSS.
Yesterday, Apple announced the iPad — a computing device placed between a smartphone and a laptop computer. Everyone in the media and entertainment space should own one and here’s why.
Details
Price: Starts at $499 (16GB WiFi) $599 (32GB WiFi) and $699 (64GB WiFi). Add $130 to each for WiFi + 3G models.
Capacity: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Battery life: 10 hours (use); 30 days (stand by)
Screen size: 9.7 inches
How it helps:
For TV and Movies: If you’re a TV and movie studio, you have to get your content up to the iTunes store immediately. For example, there are a few shows that I subscribe to via the iTunes. These shows are automatically downloaded to my computer the next morning and I can watch them either via Apple TV or on my iPod touch. However, with the iPad, the portable market is going to get a lot bigger. Imagine that you’re sitting in a hotel room and want to download a movie. Simply open the tablet and download the movie (provided you have connectivity). This is much cheaper than renting a movie through the hotel and is instantaneously portable.
For music producers: iTunes is one of the largest music portals on the world. However, at $.99, I’m not sure how much profit the labels are making. This is a perfect opportunity to promote music videos and other music collatoral that can be used in a group setting. For example — if you’re throwing a party, connect the iPad to a compatible dock and watch the huge screen play the music videos. Without any more investment, the music labels can start making a higher margin.
For independent producers: Apart from YouTube, the iTunes store has been a blessing for many independent producers. It allows consumers to access independently produced content on a host of multiple devices, including to access podcasts. For independent producers, new devices only help by expanding the audience size.
For newspaper publishers: Newspaper and magazine publishers have been extremely hard hit in the past decade, partly, thanks to the Internet and it’s free content and partly because of their outdated print products. When you a receive a newspaper, the news it contains is at the very least 1 day late. The iPad creates new possibilities for publishers. If a publisher decides to create a paid app, it can do so. And, unlike many other devices, people might pay for a minor subscriptio feen. I don’t subscribe to any newspapers at the moment and if someone gave me the ability to get the NYTimes.com on my iPad for less than $5.00 per month, I would absolutely pay for that.
For book publishers: With the release of the iBook store, Apple is directly competing with the Kindle. However, the biggest hole is still the availability of content. Many books are still not available on the Kindle and if the same happens with the iPad, then the chances are success are low. Furthermore, with the Kindle app, it’s also possible to view Kindle books on the iPad, making it a win-win for everyone.
For marketers: Want to sell your services on the go? With the addition of Keynote presentations and HD video, it’s now possible. If you’re a marketer, you need to have the device for your entire team.
