The iNewspaper

The iPod saved the music industry. Could an Apple tablet computer do the same thing for the newspaper business?

With Apple scrambling to introduce a tablet computer by early next year, an interesting question to consider is whether Apple can save the newspaper business the same way it came to the rescue of the music industry.

For years, newspapers have done a terrible job of embracing the web, with its new economic, advertising and readership landscape. Even as dozens of newspapers close or became web-only entities with skeleton staffs, the industry still hasn’t figured out how to be vibrant and viable. For many newspapers, their only salvation is to charge for online content – something Rupert Murdoch intends to introduce next summer.

"Quality journalism is not cheap," Murdoch told The Guardian newspaper earlier this month. "The digital revolution has opened many new and inexpensive distribution channels but it has not made content free. We intend to charge for all our news websites."

So where does Apple fit into the mix, and how could it save newspapers from themselves?

Before Apple launched iTunes, the music industry was flailing to deal with the growth of file sharing. Consumers didn’t want to pay $20 for a CD with only one or two good songs. Apple and Steve Jobs corralled the music labels by convincing them there was a better way: a user-friendly online music-buying service. Begrudgingly, the labels agreed with Jobs’ vision, and the rest is history.

For newspapers, the Apple tablet has the potential to provide a new, user-friendly model to reach consumers, including younger consumers who don’t read their product. With Wi-Fi/3G access, a large screen, and the company’s design brilliance, Apple could roll out an iNewspaper service that would be either subscription-based or ad-supported.

With hardware designed for reading, the Apple tablet would give newspapers an exciting new platform to deliver content when and where consumers wanted it. With Apple’s support, newspapers would have a solid economic model as a key element of the iNewspaper service instead of trying a wide variety of ineffective models.

The iNewspaper service would be easy to use, intuitive, and compelling, which would encourage consumers to maybe even pay for content.

Of course, newspapers also need to continue to evolve and adjust their editorial focus. They need to provide content that offers valuable perspective and insight – content that tells readers why something happened and what it means, rather than just what happened. Most people already know about the “what” from the thousands of free online services that provide “commodity” information; it’s the why and what it means that will help newspapers stand out from the crowd.

At the same time, newspapers will have to further refine their operational models. The next generation of reporter will have to be able to generate different types of content – online stories, podcasts, videos, photographs, and blogs.

It’s a whole new world for newspapers. The old rules aren’t working anymore. New ideas such as an iNewspaper store need to be explored and embraced before it’s too late.