The iPad has officially arrived. After months of expectations, reviews, and postulations, Apple officially released the iPad to the world on Saturday and the company reports that 300,000 units were sold on the first day alone. The laptop impersonator/electronic reader/music player/movie viewer has taken the technology world by storm ever since Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed the device nearly ten weeks ago.
Though many skeptics feel that the iPad’s everyday use might be a bit overstated, there is little doubt that its impact will be quite significant. In fact, its official launch on Saturday has again prompted many to wonder about the death of traditional media, including newspapers and magazines. One of the primary topics included in this debate is that of sports coverage and specifically its transition to the digital medium over the past few decades.
League-sponsored applications like At Bat 2010 and NBA Game Time: Courtside allow fans to experience games in real-time. The NHL has repurposed its own website, nhl.com, for iPad compatibility. News organizations, such as The Sporting News, have also officially announced new versions of their publications soon to be found on the device. Though consumers still need the television medium to consume games in their purest live format, the next best thing on the iPad has all but obliterated the need for anything else, especially those defined by rigid formats and cumbersome publishing times.
Though some media purists like Rupert Murdoch claim newspapers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, it seems that the second phase of digital media is now upon us. Defined by universal access, portability, and new media standards, the iPad might represent the first note of the newspaper swan song.
good presentation and delivery of new technology.