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The Tablet Newspaper (1994)

Knight-Ridder produced a video in 1994 demonstrating their faith in the tablet newspaper of the future. Fascinating to watch this vision from 17 years ago and (only) seeing it becoming mainstream today.

Many of the technologists.....assume that information is just a commodity and people really don't care where that information comes from as long as it matches their set of personal interests. I disagree with that view. People recognize the newspapers they subscribe to.....and there is a loyalty attached to those.

Some interesting points:

• media evolves, taking on the characteristics of older forms for some period of time (before taking on new forms).
• You need to build a bridge of familiarity between how people currently understand how to use a newspaper in it's current form and how it's utilized. Many people criticize how publishers are utilizing the iPad, but what would be the result if the interface was far removed from what people are accustomed to using. Perhaps the interface would be innovative enough that it would be entirely intuitive.

How much did the thinking contained in this video influence publishers efforts on the iPad today?

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