TomdB – Would you be saying that if you were a writer? At least musicians can make money out of concerts I can't see many writers packing out the o2 for a reading.

TomdB – Would you be saying that if you were a writer? At least musicians can make money out of concerts I can't see many writers packing out the o2 for a reading.

Or if he worked for a magazine? 😉

Lots of writers are in favour of giving their work away for free. Cory Doctorow is probably the biggest champion of this. I bought two of his books after downloading the free e-versions, and probably wouldn't have otherwise.

For me the rumoured device would be really useful. I regularly need to take documents in PDF format to meetings etc. to review, comment on etc.: a laptop's too clunky for that, mostly. If I could just have them on a decent 10-12" screen rather than printing them out it would be great. As well as that there's all the other stuff it's rumoured to do. I'd also probably change my ST subscription to internet-only if the screen's decent: saves having all the paper issues lying around! 😉

The humble sheet of paper, will never ever ever ever ever x infinity be out of date or go out of fashion. ever.

Mleh I'm not so sure.

It will have it's place for a long time to come, but I suspect the days of paper-based daily newspapers are numbered.

I think there is a big difference between the relative immediacy of a magazine and a book but no doubt new technology is forcing magazines to challenge their business models. I have huge admiration for what Singletrack is trying to do and think it is pretty innovative.

I am afraid I am not familiar with Cory Doctorow but no doubt he is an author who will cope with the challenges of new technology, but I fear some won't who I would have enjoyed reading.

I guess I am a Luddite who worries for the future of his local library and independent book shop.

Nah, okay for short stuff, but reading anything lengthy off a backlit screen is rubbish.

I use an old style palm monochrome screen and it's great, read loads of books off of it all the time. Also have a windows mobile with haali reader, if you switch colours to black background green text thats fine too (setting is in the reader not the document). Windows mobile is unstable and power hungry tho so still use palm mostly. iphones and similar would be a good platform for this too if you could get a decent reader. Bit more cerebral than naff games and jiggly boob apps you get at the mo.

Paper may stay for important work docs but entertainment wise they need to modernise. Pic heavy mags and glossy pubs less so but pure text should be in a useful eformat for handhelds.

I fear some won't who I would have enjoyed reading.

Surely electronic books will lower the entry bar and allow far more authors to get published than the current paper-based system?

Certainly worked for mp3 in that far more indy bands will have mp3s on their websites or whatever, rather than having to fork out to get demo tapes published and trying to manually distribute them to fans.

Donk: yeah I've read some stuff on the iPhone (including Origin Of Species and the Cory Doctorow novels), but I did find it more tiring than reading from paper and I wouldn't like to try reading "War And Peace" on a backlit screen, even with the brightness turned down and night colours turned on.

Mind you, the good point was I could read in bed without disturbing the missus.

Paper's outdated – take that with a pinch of salt.

More than the device itself I'm excited about the potential of it re-inventing the print industry.
Since the internet came about the publishing industry has been seeing a decline in sales (I'm not referring to Singletrack here, I'm talking about the industry as a whole). Equally, people expect things for free on the internet – particularly the written word. A file format that takes the best of what printed magazines offer, with the interactivity and scope to add video and other interactive elements that we're used to on the web is what's desperately needed.

Apple has the power to offer this, along with a great delivery medium.

Where is the content CFH I see nothing although I bet it adds nothing to this thread 😉

I agree with what your saying tom, mags are so good though as you can chuck them about and leave them on trains when you have finished.

paper dead? pah! you probably think the net killed hedge porn too don't you? wrong! saw some of that last week.
what will we do for shiterature?
😆

interactive mags will be ace

being able to get something like "word" magazine – with embededd video clips in the movie review section, and music embedded too would be great

I assume apple will be driving people to "subscribe" to digital magazines via iTunes

CaptainFlashheart:
I'd love it if they released something like a corkscrew or a saucepan.

Viz beat them to it several years ago:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2010/01/27/apple_tablet_patent/

more speculation :o)

Dave

More than the device itself I'm excited about the potential of it re-inventing the print industry.

I'm a writer and think the tablet's potential for the mag and book industries is very exciting. Being able to tap to view image galleries, videos, interactive maps, and go deeper into a topic at the touch of a word will, I hope, attract paying subscribers. I find digital magazine software (like Zinio) too clunky at the moment, but once designers get comfortable with the tablet I'm hoping to see some fantastic content.

Liveblog coverage has started here: http://live.gizmodo.com/

To paraphrase the nice man on DW TV:

"The most hyped tablets since Moses came down the mountain"

"The most hyped tablets since Moses came down the mountain"

they certainly look like it don't they I'll reserve judgement until i have a go on one, i dare say UK price will be expensive.

It will be interesting what the future holds for magazines.

How many people wander into WHSmiths (other newsagents are available) for a quick scan of the magazines – cars, bikes, hifi etc. on their dinnertimes. Maybe an article grabs you and you pay for it, other times you realise it's just full of tat and you put it back. Wonder what the percentage of magazines market is made from that? You don't get that flexibility with something you have to subscribe to.

Yes, in theory it should be cheaper with online subscriptions but don't be too certain. MP3s aren't exactly a bargain to download again CDs are they?

Combine eBooks, search engines and GPS and suddenly your advertising is a lot more specific to you. Certainly could throw up some nice combinations if you are'reading' your iPad on the bus when it thinks you're off to that massage parlour you googled last night in private and throws up a big advert for all to see!

lol at the end of paper comments. You can't hack a peice of paper, it doesn't need batteries and it's really easy to carry around. It will never go out of fashion. I bet you a million quid paper will never stop being used in large quantities for documenting things.

Even when we get to the point where we have cheap e-paper that can be folded like normal paper and requires no power?

Plus it's lot less concerning if you drop a paperback down the crapper

As a bit of a fanboy, I'm pretty underwhelmed by this. I think it's an opening gambit in the accessible technology race, but as it is it's too big to be convenient and too underpowered to be substantially more useful than a smartphone or pda.

Even when we get to the point where we have cheap e-paper that can be folded like normal paper and requires no power?

The only way paper will become second best is when your computer can be rolled up,water proof thrown in your bag, be put through the rugged hands of airport luggage, cheap, and ever lasting batteries.

your computer can be rolled up

Polymer Vision epaper from 2007

water proof

"SiPix e-paper is made of hydrophobic components and is therefore highly water resistant."
— http://www.sipix.com/technology/faq.html#waterproof [/quote]

ever lasting batteries

"It is bistable, meaning that the image is maintained without loss to image quality when the power is removed. Given that power is only consumed when changing the display, SiPix e-paper is an ideal choice for systems with limited power budgets or battery size constraints."
— http://www.sipix.com/technology/faq.html#benefits

Don't forget that e-paper has benefits to publishers too. No printing presses to maintain. No paper to buy, print and distribute.

But I can I tear a bit off in an emergency to wipe my arse?

I'm sure some uses for paper will remain 😀

Looks cool grahamS, why'd it not take off?

Even when we get to the point where we have cheap e-paper that can be folded like normal paper and requires no power?

Yes. I'm inclined to suggest that the majority of people on the planet, don't actually have access to the internet. But I don't know for sure.

If we ignore all those people who (while may have the skill), are largely illiterate, I would still suggest that currently, a huge proportion of those people probably don't have any easy access to the internet at all.

Try supporting a completely non-technical user base and you'll see how adverse most people are to accepting computer technology no matter what form it is presented in. And until you kill off all those people who don't do computers, paper will be their preferred medium.

Plus normal books rock, I'm a proper computer geek and I'd much rather read a book than mess about with some ereader bollocks.

Looks cool grahamS, why'd it not take off?

They had problems with the funding for it apparently so they couldn't launch. But the tech is definitely there and ready for someone to commercialise.

Yes. I'm inclined to suggest that the majority of people on the planet, don't actually have access to the internet.

Yeah but I'm talking about real people that live in houses… 😈

I'm a proper computer geek and I'd much rather read a book than mess about with some ereader bollocks.

Agree at the moment, but that position makes no sense when we get to the position where epaper is indistinguishable from paper.

iPad is not as cool as a Sony Vaio P series which is smaller, lighter, has a real keyboard, a lid, and runs any software you like. Admittedly a bit slower than your laptop, but there you go. Fact.

Any PC laptop runs only software that you don't like! Or I don't anyway.

iPad is not as cool as a Sony Vaio P series which is smaller, lighter, has a real keyboard, a lid, and runs any software you like

Cute, but I couldn't get the touch-screen, compass, GPS or accelerometers to work on it? Is it broken? 😉

mmm yes, cos that iPad's gonna look very discrete stuck underneath your rear view mirror 😆

Why do you need a touch screen? Why do you need a compass? The GPS in mine works fine tho 😉

Glenp – you don't like any single item of software on the PC? Get a life you wannabe geek!

Problem with all of these gadgets are that none fit in your pocket, so if i where carrying a bag i would take a laptop.

P series fits in your pocket! That's why it's so cool!

P series fits in your pocket! That's why it's so cool!

does it heck its nearly a foot long and half a foot wide.

Get a life you wannabe geek!

That's nice.

I have a life, ta. And it ain't IT.