The numbers of tablets and digital readers will soar in the coming years
ABI research has predicted that there will be 57 million tablets sold by the year 2015, with a large chunk of those being iPads.
A realistic number? Seeing how over 300,000 iPads were sold on its launch day, and over 3 million in the first 80 days of being released, I could believe that within five years Apple and other tablets will hit the predicted number.
What makes the iPad so appealing?
The iPad has been specifically designed and marketed for consuming digital media such as eBooks and periodicals, movies, music and games. The device also allows for Wi-Fi and 3G Internet access for web browsing and email.
It weighs more than an iPhone but less than typical laptop computers and is controlled by a multi-touch display screen, much like the iPhone and iPod Touch before it.
Content Marketing 2011
The reach of content marketing is becoming broader with the rise in popularity of tablets and digital readers. Online publishers not only have the task of supplying great content to their audiences, but also the requirement to meet the needs and expectations of those users.
Apps are the new focus of content producers who want to stay with the changing digital landscape. As we have seen traditional media suffer in the recent years, the new opportunities developed by mobile devices and content applications give digital publishers the chance to regain a revenue-generating audience by offering multi-platform experiences.
Other technology, and more still to come
Although much of the hype for 2010 has been based around the iPad, there are other tablets and digital readers that cannot be counted out of the equation.
For one, Google has the Android platform, which is direct competition for Apple’s iPad. New tablet models are expected from Google that may very well be lighter than the iPad and have a screen that’s easier to see in different viewing conditions.
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As a means to stand above the competition, Google recently launched the Google App Inventor, which claims to allow people unfamiliar with coding to create complete, working Android apps. The process of creating the apps involves connecting a series of “blocks” and ultimately allows for two outcomes; one being that the Android market will now be an open platform for designers and two, that there will be more custom apps being created.
This is a very different concept than what Apple’s App Store has been running off. The Google App Inventor does not require an approval of created apps before they can be available for purchase while Apple’s App Store does require approval.
On one last note, there is the Amazon Kindle, which, like other e-ink devices, is designed to offer a great user experience when reading eBooks and other text-based documents.
In addition to the content that is being created for these platforms, new methods of advertising are popping up for online publishers and Internet marketers alike. The digital transformation is taking place at a rapid rate. Do you know what is needed to thrive and prosper?
Our Content Marketing 2011 session at the Mequoda Summit Boston 2010 will discuss the new environment of digital readers, and how online publishers and Internet marketers can take advantage of this amazing technology and continue supplying fresh content to their audiences.
To attend our Content Marketing 2011 session, and over a dozen other panels and four keynote presentations, sign up now for our Mequoda Summit Boston 2010.
Really like this post, Chris. It helps us all to see that content marketing is more than just text, audio, and video. I think the “apps” arena is an interesting addition to the content marketing arena. I also think that some businesses might want to produce complete books that they can sell, but which also work as content marketing for their core business.