USA Today And NPR On The iPad

As the new Apple iPad hit the shelves, consumers were excited to be able to carry their favorite source of media on this portable gadget. As many as 300,000 units were sold in one day according to an Apple spokesman. The demand for specific applications (apps) has grown tenfold, with the bulk of these in the area of media companies. This is in direct contrast to the iPhone, which has been almost solely limited to games. In fact, the only non-game to crack the top 100 downloads is CNN, which checked in at position number 69.

Most of the top 25 lists for the iPad show USA today and NPR among this group. This is not a surprise, since media companies dominate the top 100 downloads for this portable media center. There were 30,000 downloads of the NPR app in one day, making this a very popular search among users. Both of these companies are providers of news and information, which is what most consumers seem to want with their iPads. Although the internet is certainly also available to viewers, there appears to be a growing movement towards more trusted sources. This may help to account for the high number of downloads for media apps.

It has been speculated that this could be a way to bolster a sagging media industry and generate additional revenue via online advertisements. In the USA today app, users are able to read news stories and view paid promotions as well. By clicking on the image that appears, they are supplied with more information, pricing and even some pictures. Sponsors hope to lure more customers who would ordinarily not see their offerings. The beauty behind this strategy, is that while a physical product has space limitations, there are none of these restrictions on the internet.

An ad, or impression can be shown as many times as a company wants and is willing to pay for. In many cases though, this has proven to be a whole lot more than a paper version. Critics argue that the cost of advertising and apps may soon negatively affect the sales of these units. One major magazine charges by the week the same amount that is paid for a hard copy. Many consumers are upset by this fact, thinking that loyalty to a particular brand should be rewarded with some kind of discount. This hasn’t proven to be the case as of yet.

Due to the hype surrounding the iPad and potential revenue it could generate, many media companies worked overtime to get their apps ready in time for launch. It appears to have been successful, since according to most of the top 100 downloaded apps for this product, all of them are of the media type. Since both USA today and NPR are in every top 25 count, it would appear that they too were able to develop a winning strategy. There is no way that users would keep using something of low quality when other outlets are readily available.

The USA app is free to users until July 4, 2010. This is courtesy of one of the major sponsors — Courtyard by Marriott. The paper promises updates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Obviously, since the electronic edition can be altered quickly and download by users just as fast, this makes it an obvious choice to view the new of the day. The other major features touted by the editors include easy access to all of the familiar sections consumers are used to seeing: News, Sports, Money and Life. This familiarity will help to ease the transition to the virtual world.

The other advantage that is being promoted for this app, is the enhanced photo galleries. Developers claim that there is no other hand-held or portable device on the market that can match the quality of their pictures. They are just a finger swipe away from being viewed on the iPad.

NPR took a slightly different approach to designer their app. Due to the larger screen availability of the iPad compared to the iPhone, creators have decided to make this truly a multi-media device. Users can browser news stories while also listening to audio programming at the same time. It also features links to over 1,000 member stations that consumers can quickly access for their information needs. They worked diligently on this project to be ready for the launch date of Apples unit. The good folks at this radio outlet calculated that this platform would be a logical outlet for their programming. Consumers have jumped at the chance to download the NPR app., as previously stated.

The development of this particular app. was not easy. Engineers had to modify the NPR web site in order to make it function with the iPad. Since the unit does not support flash for instance, this obstacle had to be ironed out in order to provide customers with a positive experience with National Public Radio. The sound issue was another problem that was easily fixed. Despite the fact that the Apple platform was an ideal choice for the audio, it required a placement towards the bottom of the screen in order not to detract from the viewing experience. Authorities welcome feedback on viewers experience regarding the marriage of these 2 media types. Any and all comments are welcome on the NPR website. Check out the new design as well.