How will the iPad change Canadian Media Consumption?
Apple has announced that it sold more than 300,000 iPads on April 3rd, the device’s opening day in the United States. Scores of people lined up outside many Apple Stores well before the iPad even went on sale. With Apple generating so much buzz for this product, many wonder whether the iPad — which will be released in Canada in late May — will live up to its massive hype. Many market analysts, including Wall Street, estimate that first year sales will range anywhere from 1 million to 5 million. What remains to be seen is how these new iPad users will use the device.
The iPad can be used to read electronic books, watch videos, access the Internet and play games, among many other applications. It is expected to change the way people consume news, by making it easier to receive digital versions of newspapers and live streamed videos. "Not only does it threaten to turn the digital publishing and electronic reader market on its head," said Scott Steinberg, head of technology consulting firm TechSavvy Global, “the iPad aims to provide a more comfortable and casual means of consuming audio, video and photo content as well as playing games."
However, the iPad is not without its fair share of criticism. It has no support for Adobe Flash Player, no camera and no multi-task capabilities. It faces even more criticism in Canada, where licensing and copyright ownership issues are likely to prevent Canadians from viewing some of the books and television programs available on the device. This is not a new issue among Canadians, who are also limited in some of the American video content they can view on the Internet due to similar regulations.
Canadian publishers are scrambling to find solutions to this problem before the iPad is released, so their content will be readily available when the iPad hits the shelves. They are also anticipating the release of Microsoft's HP Slate later this year, which will be similar in size to the iPad and includes many of the features absent in Apple’s device. Judging from the reaction of media publishers to these two devices so far, it's safe to assume that news and entertainment content is going to get a lot more portable and interactive as more tablets are developed.