Survey suggests iPad users want more magazines on tablet - Appolicious

Back when Apple first rolled out its subscription setup for publications in the iTunes App Store, there was quite a bit of initial enthusiasm. Despite some issues with the policy at first, it seemed like most publishers were seeing the iPad (and other tablets like it) as a big new revenue stream for an industry that had been struggling for years producing primarily in print and on the web.

It has been about six months since that subscription policy was enacted. Some publishers, such as Conde Naste, have embraced the iPad with many magazines and have seen a big boost in subscriptions, while others have kept things a little more calm and made only a few issues or publications available for Apple’s juggernaut mobile device. But according to a new survey from by the Association of Magazine Media, a publishing trade group, it seems people who read magazines and other publications on their iPads would like to be reading even more on their devices.

AllThingsD has the story, in which the survey finds that some two-thirds of people reading magazines, newspapers and similar publications on tablets and e-readers expect to be reading even more of those kinds of publications on their tablets in 2012. Of those, 63 percent say they want more publications available on their devices. The survey also found about 46 percent of users are consuming more publications in general, both in print and on tablets. The majority of magazines and other publications are consumed on the iPad, AllThingsD writes, though the survey was targeted at all tablets and e-readers.

The survey focused on 1,009 people who were “pre-screened” for owning the right kinds of mobile devices – tablets and e-readers – and for using magazine apps on those tablets. As AllThingsD writes, the very fact that the survey has been conducted says something about the mobile industry in general and the mobile publishing industry in particular. Up until just recently, there weren’t enough people in both of those categories to accurately conduct a study, an Association of Magazine Media spokesman said.

The information gleaned from the survey paints a pretty rosy picture of the future of the magazine business, but it also shows that Apple’s bid to handle subscriptions on its mobile device has paid off pretty well. That the survey even exists shows, apparently, that lots of iPad customers are reading magazines on their tablets. And as the survey data demonstrates, many of them wish there was more to read.

Magazine and newspaper publishers have been struggling for years with the transition into a digital age. Print subscriptions are declining, while making strong revenues from the Internet has proven extremely difficult. It seems that at least part of the bridge between the two, and to keeping publications making money in the face of new technology, might consist of mobile devices like the iPad.

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RIM's PlayBook attracting developers, but lags behind iPad: Survey - Tehran Times

Developers are increasingly interested in Research In Motion’s upcoming PlayBook platform, at least according to new survey data posted by Appcelerator and research firm IDC. However, that same data suggests the iPad and Android tablets continue to dominate developers’ attention.

Appcelerator and IDC surveyed some 2,235 Appcelerator Titanium developers earlier in January on “perceptions surrounding mobile OS priorities, feature priorities, and mobile development plans in 2011,” according to a note posted on Appcelerator’s Website.

Based on 1,971 developers’ responses, the percentage “very interested” in developing for the PlayBook platform has increased from 16 percent in September 2010 to 28 percent this month. By contrast, interest in developing for the iPad rose from 84 percent to 87 percent during that same period. Interest in Android tablets bumped from 62 percent to 74 percent.

In other words, despite that accelerating interest in the PlayBook, the platform continues to lag behind most competing tablets—except for the still-hypothetical devices running Palm webOS, which placed last among tablets with 16 percent “very interested.”

Hewlett-Packard, which acquired Palm in 2010, has yet to announce any tablets running the operating system, although it is expected to do so at a Feb. 9 event. Rumors are also circulating that HP plans on introducing a netbook running webOS, in addition to tablets and smartphones.

Competition with tablets is due to increase exponentially throughout the rest of 2011. In addition to the next-generation iPad expected to debut sometime in the next few months, manufacturers ranging from Toshiba to Motorola have Android-based tablets in the works. Seeking to differentiate itself within that crowded field, RIM plans on marketing the PlayBook as a device with particular appeal to the enterprise, a longtime customer base for the BlackBerry franchise.

The publication DigiTimes recently suggested that both Motorola and RIM have placed substantial tablet orders with their Taiwanese component makers. RIM will launch a WiFi-only version of the PlayBook this quarter, with a 4G-enabled version available via Sprint by summer. 

Consultancy firm Deloitte recently estimated tablet shipments in 2011 at 50 million units, ahead of research firm IDC’s predictions of 44.6 million units for the year. “Although some commentators view tablets as underpowered media-consumption toys suitable only for consumers,” Deloitte reportedly wrote in its annual sector forecast, “in 2011, more than 25 percent of all tablet computers will be bought by enterprises, and that figure is likely to rise in 2012 and beyond.”   (Source: eWeek)

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iPad More Desirable Than Galaxy Tab, Survey Says

Samsung's Galaxy Tab just can't beat the iPad, with 85 percent of U.S. consumers preferring Apple's tablet to Samsung's, according to a recent consumer survey. The results are based on a study conducted by investment firm Piper Jaffray, which surveyed a paltry 65 people to reach its conclusion, according to Apple Insider.

The investment firm quizzed those surveyed not only about which device they preferred, but also what they would be willing to pay for the popular tablets. The iPad is a 10-inch Apple iOS-based tablet, while the Galaxy Tab is a 7-inch Android-based device.

The so-called "perceived value" of the 3G iPad (16GB) in Piper Jaffray's limited survey reached $417 (the iPad retails for $629 at the Apple Store). The Galaxy Tab is only available as a 3G device and its perceived value was $283 (the Galaxy Tab's lowest retail price is $599 through T-Mobile).

Despite the small number of people surveyed, Piper Jaffray's conclusion that the iPad is more popular than the Samsung Galaxy Tab is hardly surprising. The iPad currently has a much larger user base, and offers a variety of different models ranging in price from $499 to $829.

In October, Apple's last official count of iPad sales reached 7.46 million since launching the device in April. It took Apple 28 days to sell one million devices, less than 60 days to sell 2 million and 80 days to reach 3 million iPads sold.

Samsung has reportedly sold about 600,000 Galaxy Tabs worldwide during the device's first month of sales. The Galaxy Tab launched in the United States during the week of November 10, and Samsung hopes to reach 1 million devices sold by the end of the year.

Then there's the general popularity for Apple "iDevices" such as the iPhone, iPod, new Apple TV and iPad. Add to that the new and innovative third-party offerings on the iPad such as Virgin Digital Publishing's recently launched Project magazine, and it's clear the iPad is the device to beat.

That trend is likely to remain the same until Google releases a tablet-specific version of Android, which is now rumored to be Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). When Android for tablets comes out, the iPad could end up being overrun by numerous one-panel slate competitors, similar to what is happening to the iPhone right now.

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