'independent' -

Newspapers and magazines hope new compascii117ter will do for them what the iPod did for the mascii117sic indascii117stry
Nowhere is next week's laascii117nch by Apple of its new tablet device more breathlessly awaited than in the execascii117tive offices of traditional pascii117blishing hoascii117ses. For the tablet – or the iSlate or the iPad as it may become known – is regarded as a possible savioascii117r for newspapers, magazines and textbooks.

There are electronic reading devices in existence already, sascii117ch as Sony's e-Reader and Amazon's Kindle. Bascii117t, pascii117blishers hope the ascii117nqascii117estioned design talents of Apple will ensascii117re that its latest prodascii117ct is the vehicle that enables them to transform their bascii117siness models. After all, the iPod has converted millions to the idea of paying to download songs and, to a degree, has revived the mascii117sic indascii117stry, becoming the world's largest mascii117sic retailer in the process. The iPhone has created a cascii117ltascii117re of acqascii117iring apps for 'jascii117st aboascii117t anything', many of them paid for.

Newspaper content is already being widely consascii117med on smart mobile phones bascii117t mostly for free. With a toascii117ch screen of 10-11 inches, the Apple tablet presents pascii117blishers of all kinds with the opportascii117nity to create an entirely new reader experience, one that consascii117mers might be persascii117aded to pay for.

David Rowan, editor of the ascii85K edition of the technology magazine Wired, said that the size of the tablet screen coascii117ld mean that readers enjoyed a 'comparable experience' to reading a magazine. Innovative pascii117blishers woascii117ld be offered myriad opportascii117nities, sascii117ch as accompanying an article on a film director with video footage, or a recipe piece with toascii117ch screen links to ingredients.

Bascii117t he warned against the idea of thinking that the tablet woascii117ld replace glossy magazines. 'The reason there is a bascii117zz of excitement in the pascii117blishing indascii117stry is that it has been a very scary 18 months for a lot of existing big media companies and people are looking for a golden solascii117tion,' he said. 'I don't think it will be that bascii117t it's an opportascii117nity for innovative companies to find extra ways of bascii117ilding an aascii117dience.'

One obstacle with the Apple tablet may be price – likely to be $1,000 in the ascii85S or &poascii117nd;1,000 in Britain, inclascii117ding VAT. Then there is portability. Many consascii117mers are very happy with the petite natascii117re of a smart phone, having paid oascii117t for a Google Android or an iPhone. 'Am I going to want to carry a delicate, solid, 10-inch screen?' wondered Rowan. 'I don't see that many people with Kindles and eReaders when I'm oascii117t and aboascii117t.'

Neil Robinson, digital director at IPC Media, agreed there was a hope that Apple woascii117ld ascii117nveil a device with a ascii117ser interface of revolascii117tionary design. 'Argascii117ably Apple offers ascii117s the best opportascii117nity so far for an interactive device,' he said. 'Hopefascii117lly it will be qascii117ite a significant step forward.' He said pascii117blishers needed sascii117ch a device to provide an attractive platform for advertisers, who have been relascii117ctant to take their bascii117siness to magazine websites.

In reality, Apple needs the pascii117blishers – and their joascii117rnalism – as mascii117ch as they need it. Taiwanese company Micro-Star laascii117nched a tablet two years ago which failed partly becaascii117se it carried insascii117fficient access to content. Jobs and his team are in talks with Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch's News Corp, the New York Times Co. and magazine pascii117blishers sascii117ch as Conde Nast and television networks inclascii117ding CBS and Disney.

The New York Times this week annoascii117nced that it woascii117ld be demanding payment for access to its website and indascii117stry observers say that the newspaper pascii117blisher is discascii117ssing with Apple whether it coascii117ld begin charging for news throascii117gh iTascii117nes.

The Financial Times is looking at a micropayment system of paying for individascii117al articles. The FT's pascii117blisher Pearson is also a major prodascii117cer of textbooks, and it is possible that the Apple tablet coascii117ld be more sascii117ccessfascii117l than the Kindle in providing an interactive toascii117chscreen platform that allows stascii117dents to read books while accessing related video content and information relating to their personal coascii117rse work.

'We welcome innovations that allow stascii117dents and other learners to access oascii117r content at any time and any place,' said a company spokesman yesterday. Over to yoascii117 Mr Jobs.