Apple iPad to revolutionize Gulf media

You will not be reading about the launch of the Apple iPad in the Gulf newspapers until tomorrow, because the launch missed the deadlines for the regional press. But you will be able to read about it here on the Internet.

That is why the Internet is a revolution for news. It is instant, immediate and free – unlike the printed word. And new devices like Apple’s sensational $499 iPad are going to bring that media service cheaply, efficiently and beautifully to even more readers.

Technological marvel

So just what is it that makes the iPad so revolutionary? This light-weight, 10-inch, full-function touch screen allows the Internet experience of a larger PC with great color pictures with the convenience of a book, and at relatively low cost.

It is essentially a wireless Web browser that replaces newspapers, books and magazines. You will get the same basic experience without the dead trees.

The iPad is going to do for the written media what the iPod did for music. Everything is going digital and electronic and the centuries old dominance of paper for information is finally over.

Consider the average Gulf reader. Buy an iPad and you can surf several newspapers free of charge. Which Gulf magazine house will be the first to adapt magazines to the new format? Internet-only publications are also now far more user-friendly at a stroke.

Staying online

The move online is not a new phenomenon, of course. For more than a decade publishing has been moving on to the Internet. Even the Gulf newspapers have finally got decent websites together. But the iPad is going a stage further.

Apple has launched an ebook store called iBook. It allows the purchasing and downloading of books in one go. The books appear on a bookshelf on the screen and have their cover art and the electronic pages resemble a real book. But then you can also watch videos, news programs and play games on the iPad.

Yet the new iPad is the star of this revolution. It is just half an inch thick, weighs 680g and has a 10-hour battery life, with storage of up to 64GB. Wifi-only models will be introduced first and 3G models using mobile phone networks a little later.