For a device that doesn’t, and may never, exist, the Apple Tablet is suddenly bearing the expectations of the whole print industry. The New Yorker is reporting that Time Inc., Condé Nast, and Hearst are planning on joining forces for a digital distribution format. Between these companies there are more than 50 magazines, including such powerhouses as O, The New Yorker, Time, Sports Illustrated and Esquire. Pulling together this band of rivals is John Squires, Executive VP of Time Inc., who is planning on leaving the publisher in order to focus on this new company.
The proposed system sounds like an iTunes store, with each magazine available for purchase in a digital edition. If these publishing heavyweights manage to come together on a single distribution method, it has a pretty good chance of succeeding. Assuming, of course, it isn’t too horribly bogged down in DRM. According to the article, “the magazines [would] work across multiple digital platforms, whether the iPhone, the BlackBerry or countless other digital devices”, the unspoken assumption here is the inclusion of a tablet device whose size best mirrors that of a print magazine. Interestingly, the companies are specifically avoiding ebook devices, which are poorly suited to dynamic and colored content.
[via 9to5Mac]
