News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch is embarking on an ambitious plan for a new national digital newspaper to be distributed exclusively as paid content for tablet computers such as Apple Inc.’s iPad and mobile phones.
The initiative, which would directly compete with the New York Times, USA Today and other national publications, is the latest attempt by a major media organization to harness sexy new devices to reach readers who increasingly consume their news on the go. The development underscores how the iPad is transforming the reading habits of consumers much like the iPod changed how people listen to music.
"We’ll have young people reading newspapers," the 79-year-old Murdoch said during the company’s Aug. 4 earnings call. "It’s a real game changer in the presentation of news."
Another ‘iPad to the rescue of publishing’ type initiative. Here’s my first suggestion for Mr. Murdoch if he wants to have any hope of success on the iPad with this idea (because I’m sure he’s anxiously awaiting my thoughts): take zero / nothing / nada from the approach used on your Times of London iPad version. I reviewed that one recently and it is a tremendously poor effort. For me, it’s one of the poster-child examples of how not do an iPad newspaper app.
Patrick Jordan
Founder and Editor in Chief of iPad Insight. Husband, father to a lovely daughter, Commander of the Armies of the North, dog lover (especially Labs), Austinite, former Londoner, IT consultant, huge sports nut, iPad and mobile tech blogger, mobile apps junkie.
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