Marco.org

Shawn Blanc on the difficulties that magazine publishers have had bringing good reading experiences to the iPad:

Instead of trying to find that spot between print and iOS, they should leave the historical traditions of print design altogether. Instead of leaning on the perceived value of a physical printed periodical they should look to the iPad’s new value of delight, ubiquity, and instantaneous digital access. Moreover, they need to find better ways to bring their articles to their iPad readership. Magazines need to cater their layout design and interaction design to the iPad rather than attempting to fit the iPad around their previous print-tested designs.

I’m a bit biased to post this because of Shawn’s expressed preference for Instapaper, but it’s a great look at the balance of value, branding, and production costs that traditional publishers are facing.