Gadget-lovers who picked up an iPad when the device was released in Canada on Friday are likely in the process of browsing the App Store and experimenting with the bells and whistles of their new high-tech toy.
But those looking for innovative ways to experience the news will likely be disappointed, at least in terms of Canadian options.
While some newspapers and magazines have already launched apps that take advantage of the tablet’s touch-screen interface to present the news in a new way, the Canadian media hasn’t really done so just yet.
Industry watchers say they’re disappointed but not surprised, especially considering the cutbacks that have slimmed down newsrooms.
But rather than rushing to market now, media outlets should take the time to create something of substance that will really impress readers, instead of just trying to be first, said Mathew Ingram, former communities editor for the Globe and Mail and now a writer for GigaOm.com.
“I think there would definitely be bragging rights [in being first] and there would definitely be a sort of marketing advantage,” said Ingram.
“But if you’re a media company you have to decide is it worth it just to be first, or would you rather take a little bit of time and try to be the best.”
While it’s unknown whether Canadians would be willing to pay for news on a device like the iPad–and it remains to be seen just how big the market of tablet buyers will be–there are some devoted newshounds who are ready to hand over their credit card numbers.
Toronto resident Tom Linderoos, 59, subscribes to two newspapers but has recently questioned why he’s paying for the print product, since so much of the content is freely available online. He loves the form factor of the iPad and is willing to pay for Canadian content on it–when it becomes available.
“With the larger format that the iPad has, I see it as a potentially real alternative to the paper version we’ve been reading,” he said.
“I have the New York Times app… and as more Canadian papers start to create apps I’m certainly going to use those. I go to the App Store pretty much every day to see what’s there.”
The Globe does have an iPad app available called Globe2Go, which is an exact digital replica of the print product. It’s available to subscribers for $9.99 a month or $19.99 without a subscription.
The paper also plans to release another app “in the next month or so” that’s designed specifically to take advantage of the iPad’s interface, said Angus Frame, vice-president of digital. It will be free at launch but the price will eventually be reassessed, Frame said, adding it will improve the reading experience, highlight the paper’s photojournalism and play video.
The CBC does not have a dedicated iPad app but has optimized its website for users on the tablet. Unlike many websites that rely on the Flash plug-in to play video–which Apple refuses to use on its devices–CBC has found a work around.
The Toronto Star said it has an iPad application in the works and plans to release it “quite soon.”
Calls to Canwest, the publisher of newspapers including the National Post, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun and Ottawa Citizen, and Quebecor, which prints the Sun family of papers, were not immediately returned.
Paul Knox, chair of Ryerson’s School of Journalism, said it’s unfortunate that Canadian newspapers aren’t ready with iPad apps because “like it or not, this is a place where they’re going to have to be.”
“News organizations have to be where people who want news are, and if that’s in the iPad realm, then they should be there.”
But like Ingram, he thinks the apps should be designed in a way that complements the device, and doesn’t just involve copying and pasting of content.
“[A good design] offers the possibility that people will actually pay for…. access to an experience that is pleasurable as well as giving them the information they need.”
Ken Seto, co-founder of Endloop, a Toronto-based company that designs iPad and iPhone apps, said he’s disappointed Canadian media isn’t keeping up with the offerings he’s seen in the U.S.
ABC has an app that offers streaming video of new TV shows but there’s no equivalent in Canada.
But he too agrees that there’s no sense in rushing out an app that doesn’t work right or impress, otherwise users will be turned off and will look elsewhere for a better product.
“It’s so easy for an app not to feel right if you don’t do it well,” he warns.
