The first image most people will ever see of Apple's recently unveiled iPad displays Liberty City's own Chad Ochocinco. Interesting, but perhaps more important is that the image was party of the New York Times' app for the new machine. For months, rumors swirled that the iPad would be the killer app that keeps newspapers relevant in the age of technology, and that Times interface does look kinda nice, but will the iPad save the troubling fortunes of daily newspapers? Maybe not. Not yet at least.
Like many newspaper companies, the stock of Miami Herald's parent company, McClatchy, opened up more than a point higher this morning. That's a heck of a jump for a stock stuck in the single digits, but by the time the iPad was actually unveiled, the stock fell half a point. Maybe because the iPad didn't deliver on expectations.
The Times got a few minutes to show off the app, which isn't much of an improvement on the iPhone app, but other than that, Steve Jobs and company skirted the issue of what to expect for the iPad from magazines and newspapers. Maybe the industry itself will have to figure out if it can take advantage of this shiny new toy.
For the record, if you soon find yourself with a $499 iPad and are too lazy to track down a free copy of New Times, you can bring up our Flip Book version in your iPad's web browser. The iPhone version lets you change pages with a flick of your finger, so hey, that's neat. In the meantime, you can take advantage of our print edition's latest technological modification designed for a better reading experience: a glossy cover and staples!
Then again, if you all are carrying around iPads in the new future and have loads and loads of convenient reading material on hand at all times, will you stop picking up New Times? No, of course not, right?
