A window on tablet publishing 2010

This report is about the reality of publishing on tablets and e-readers. It includes case studies that were presented at WAN-IFRA’s 3rd International E-reading & Tablet Conference in Hamburg in October 2010.

The tablets debate started a year ago with the launch of the iPad. For months, Apple was the front runner in the tablet market. However, since the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas in January 2011 and with further announcements during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (mid-February), a solid competition has emerged, with good devices from manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola, running on the new Android OS for tablets, Honeycomb.

Google is heavily promoting its own app Store, Android Market. The company has also announced Google One Pass, a service that lets publishers set their own prices and terms for their digital content while Google takes care of “the rest”, including payments, which are handled via Google Checkout. Readers who purchase from a One Pass publisher can access their content on tablets, smartphones and websites using a single sign-on with an email and password. Importantly, the service helps publishers authenticate existing subscribers so that readers don’t have to re-subscribe in order to access their content on new devices. Existing print subscribers can get free (or discounted) access to digital content. Google is said to charge publishers only 10% of sales for the digital goods exchange though this service.

At the same time, on February 15, Apple released very strict new rules for publishers wanting to sell their products though its successful App Store, creating a tough dilemma in the media industry and disrupting the strategies of some of the publishers that presented their experiences during the WAN-IFRA E-reading conference.

Over the coming months, the focus in tablet publishing will shift from content development to the central issue of digital distribution and customer relationship management. New e-stores will take off. Heavyweights of the industry are positioning themselves in this new area, from pure players like Google-Android, Yahoo and Amazon, to publishers themselves with initiatives like Ongo (supported by Gannett, the New York Times and the Washington Post) but also device manufacturers. There will be new opportunities for publishers along with a need to stay on top of these issues, so key for future business development.

Join us for the 2011 WAN-IFRA International E-reading & Tablet Conference, on October 11 in Vienna, to learn how the tablet market has faced the challenges and opportunities over the year: www.wan-ifra.org/e-reading_conference