Industry views: Will Apple’s tablet really revolutionise the media landscape?

After months of excitement, anticipation and speculation, Apple’s tablet is finally expected to be unveiled at an event in San Francisco today.

Around the world, industry executives, technology-enthusiasts and everyday consumers have been playing the guessing game.  Will the tablet be called iTablet at all, will it just be a fancy version of the Kindle or will it actually revolutionise the whole media landscape in the way the iPhone changed mobile?

For some, the tablet represents an iPod moment for books, newspapers and magazines.  It will inevitably be as well designed and easy to use, and as such will present content in new rich and exciting ways.

All kinds of ideas have been talked about – users will be able to order the day’s newspapers via a wireless connection, complete with videos and audio clips, which will bring stories to life on the supposed 10-inch screen.  Then they’ll be able to get involved with live discussion forums and social networks to debate topics of the day.

Magazines will work in a similar fashion.  Users will be able to download print editions (possibly via an app) to their tablet device, view archive content, look at particular features in a digital format that has the same glossy feel as a magazine (a modern designer’s dream).

Books, we assume, will work in the same way as they do on the likes of Sony’s e-reader and Amazon’s Kindle devices, which the tablet will no doubt completely overshadow from today onwards (though the most capable ebook reader on the market at the moment is the Kindle DX, which is priced at £370, while the tablet is rumoured to be going on sale for somewhere close to £1000).

But that’s not it.  Rumours also suggest that video footage (presumably full colour, maybe even HD) will feature heavily on Apple’s new gadget.  If so, books will tie in with films and users will get a much more enhanced experience.  If the tablet also include iTunes, which is thought to be likely, the mini-computer / big-iPhone could well be a compelling all-round entertainment device, complete with music, films and TV.

As if that isn’t enough, it’s possible that Apple has installed technology to connect the tablet to a television, in effect bringing all these media services to the big screen.  And if it’s anything like the iPhone, it will also feature augmented reality, something that is predicted to be the next big thing in 2010 (along with the tablet itself, of course).

Apple’s invitation list for today’s event also suggests that the tablet will be a whole new gaming platform.  The company has apparently been working with the likes of EA to develop content for the platform, which is expected to be popular among the gaming community because of it’s large touch-screen.

However, this is all guesswork.  Speculation over the ins and outs of the design and functionality of the new device have been rife since even the most minuscule details of the product came to light.  We will, of course, only know what it really has to offer after today’s launch, and even then it will probably be months before we see if it has as big an impact as predicted or whether it is all just hype.

As for what it will do the media landscape, that too will take some time to realise.    Apple is expected to announce partnerships with all the major publishers along with the tablet launch, implying they are on board and are fully willing to invest in exciting new digital formats.

This is a bit of a no-brainer.  By the sounds of it, the tablet is about to offer a new platform for monetising content, a new opportunity for paywalls and potential for massive digital growth.  They would be silly not to be involved.  After all, even The Guardian is happy to charge for an app, despite being strongly opposed to the idea of introducing paywalls around content.  And GQ‘s single-edition magazine app has already been downloaded 20,000 times in the US – a figure that counts towards the magazine’s total circulation – (when asked about plans for the tablet, and apps for the publisher’s UK titles, Condé Nast could only reveal that it is “an area we will be developing”.)

But whether it will actually revolutionise the move from print to digital is yet to be seen.

This is what the industry experts think:

Andy Wasef, Emerging Platforms Director, Mediaedge:cia

“Whether it changes the media landscape only time will tell.  The iPhone has undoubtedly had a seismic impact on the mobile marketing industry, but for this new product (presuming it’s what everyone is expecting) a lot will depend on it’s USP’s and positioning compared to their existing range.  Where does it fit compared to an iPhone or Macbook Pro?  If it’s essentially a big iPhone then why will more than the Apple superfans and media industry people invest in it?

If as many of the rumours suggest, Apple are planning an accompanying media ecosystem of TV/movie and magazine downloads as they did with iTunes for the iPod and the App Store for the iPhone, and they have broad agreements in place with production companies, broadcasters, studios and publishers, then the launch could well be the story of 2010 and beyond.”

Jeremy Swinfen-Green, Digital Director, Mike Colling & Co

“People think that this sort of technology means that newspapers have the opportunity to sell digital facsimile editions that will replace newspapers, and that may be the case – but surely they did with Kindle and I can’t see that it took off then.

I am not sure that the tablet will change the media landscape unless it has different functionality or a better screen than the Kindle et al.  Does the Apple tablet offer anything new?  I suppose the fact that people will be familiar with the look and feel through iPods and iPhones may act as a source of advantage to them.

Presumably the screen technology will be book-like (as in Kindle) so the point of difference in this product may be that is does more than Kindle (ie more than displaying text) but with the same book-like screen: in other words will it be a nicely designed notebook with a book-like screen? Would that be a Kindle killer – probably! Would it be a new dawn for online newspapers – I rather doubt it as there is nothing really new that could be offered beyond the screen (perhaps you will be able to write on it to do the crossword or send an email using handwriting recognition software – but I can’t see that revolutionising anything…)”

Rhys McLachlan, Managing Partner – Implementation & Futures, MediaCom

“I was at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January and Apple dominated the show without even being present so they’ve already set the agenda.  The tablet is expected to be an iPhone on steroids and will no doubt be brilliantly designed and therefore highly desirable.  Whether it will actually revolutionise how we get our media is possibly a bit far fetched.  Everything is already about digital.  It will depend how easy it is to use to how much difference it makes.  However, with The Guardian app’s 70,000 downloads, it’s indicative of things to come.”

Raymond Snoddy, Media Commentator

“There are people who are absolutely besotted with the new Apple device. A non-executive chairman of a specialist publishing company told me it would be possible to launch a new electronic magazine in the US using the device (and he actually had one in his hands). It’s  really one to watch!”

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