Our Inbox Overfloweth: Bonus iPad Commentaries From SNS Members

We might not have been able to fit all of our members’ responses into this week’s newsletter, but we certainly think their ideas are worth discussing. Stay tuned for more bonus member commentary on Strategic News Service content in the coming weeks.

Have your own take on the subject? Add your thoughts in a comment!  We’d love to hear what you have to add.

Click here for a preview of this week’s letter.

Re: iPad thoughts

Just reading this week’s newsletter…I have to agree with Mark Cuban ( https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35161216/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/ ) and not you on this one (as it relates to the iPad). I now look at three screens during my day, my 19 inch monitor at work, my iPhone (most of my interaction actually, unless I am actually sitting in my office chair), and my new 55 inch Samsung LED 8000 (love it!). My kids basically interact on three screens as well. They play games and watch videos on the iTouch, they watch videos on a regular sized TV, and whenever they can, they watch movies (bluRay really is better) and TV on our 55 inch screen.

I would say that most of our time is split between two tiny screens (the iTouch/iPhones and the giant TV screen). When we travel the kids love to have their DVD players, but we use the iTouch as a backup due to battery loss. I think that the kids will embrace the iPad like nothing we have seen and that it will quickly become a killer app as a game/video console in the kid category and as a book/textbook in the teen/college category.

For adults it will likewise find a major niche and will, perhaps, be to the netbook genre what the iPhone was to the phone genre (per your observation that the iPhone has effectively won the game wherever it can be freely sold). I will withhold judgment on the black border until I hold and play with one. I do know that on the iPhone/iTouch, kids tend to put their fingers on the screen and screw up whatever they are watching so a border makes a lot of sense if you look at it that way…..

As always, a great letter!

Aloha,

Michael Pfeffer
Managing Partner
Kolohala Ventures
Honolulu, HI
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Re: SNS: Digital Media Business Models

Mark,

I think the iPad offers a new medium for both content producers and UGC – and believe it will catalyse new approaches to creating hybrid free/sub business models.

Since you got me thinking a long time ago about the importance of Search I thought you might like to review Peter Morville’s Search Patterns , an O’Reilly title produced as a paperback and ebook which is O’Reilly’s publishing approach.

Here’s a post from my blog about Peter’s very useful and comprehensive coverage of Internet Search. < https://thoughts-illustrated.blogspot.com/2010/02/search-patterms-visual-feast-for.html >

In collaboration with Peter Morville and the Digital Media folks at O’Reilly, I and a small team of talented iPad developers will be repurposing Search Patterns to take advantage of the new iPad.

If you are interested in how this experiment goes, I will keep you apprised – this digital medium has ample value added potential for paid premium content and IMO will introduce a whole new way of leveraging the internet –

You were right about the importance of Search when you first announced its importance to almost every person’s need for “findability” on the net. Search Patterns brings this subject to life and will serve as a template for the creation of a version of the title using the new and powerful features of the new digital medium – the iPad.

Regards

Dave Davison
Angel and Entrepreneur
Silicon Valley