Tasha Harrison

The outcome of Murdoch’s paywall experiment with the Times will have a huge impact on journalism. I have spent a lot of time changing my mind about whether Murdoch is a genius or has lost touch with modern media. Finally, the paywall is here.

Today Murdoch was full of praise for tablets and, inparticular, Apple’s iPad, stating that they are ‘a perfect platform’ to read news on. This is true and it is almost certainly the future for most newspapers once the paper format is extinct. The Guardian iPhone and iPad app is one of the best examples of this.

This leads me to think that Murdoch is actually very clever. He does understand modern marketing and the internet. He also understands business and the need to make money. While many journalists and newspaper owners are happy to watch and hope that it works, Murdoch is busy actually doing it. For someone who had the foresight to be the first to enter the satellite television market with just a few thousand viewers, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to forming future trends.

For more analysis of the data and how it’s going read this: http://www.beehivecity.com/newspapers/times-paywall-more-analysis-of-the-data191807/

Last week there were two extremely important events in the world of technology. The first was the launch of the iPad, Apple’s netbook/giant iphone/small laptop type device, and the second was the first ever football match broadcast live in 3D.

No one is really sure what the iPad is for. Why do I want an iPhone, a laptop and an iPad? Possibly to read newspapers and books on the go. It’s certainly got a larger screen than the iPhone, but isn’t as big as my laptop, which means that it will fit perfectly in my handbag and I can easily read from it. But that alone is not enough for me to go out and buy one. Does it feels as though Apple have simply created the iPad for the sake of creating a new device?

The problem with the iPad is that society isn’t quite ready for it yet – we haven’t completely come to terms with the fact that we don’t need print anymore. One day, probably not as far in the future as one would imagine, we won’t really read printed material anymore. We will all carry around a device that will be much like the iPad.

And here lies the problem for technology. One day we will probably all sit and watch our televisions with glasses on, no longer wowed by the wonder of 3D, we will simply accept that football is best this way. Each person will carry around their own pair of glasses, ready for a mate’s house or the pub. It will become integrated into our lives.

You’re probably reading this thinking that you really like reading from paper and you don’t want to sit in the pub wearing glasses. The problem with this new technology is that we’re just not ready for it yet.

Just when no one thought technology could move forward any quicker Apple launched the iPhone. The effect of the iPhone on how we live can already been seen. It is crazy for me to think now that I looked online at Google Maps and printed out directions to where I was going. That’s almost as insane as me carrying an A-Z about all the time. Now I just happily type the destination into Google Maps on my phone, which tells me exactly where I am and guides me to where I need to go.

If I’m going to a party or a gig that I have been invited to on Facebook I don’t even need to remember the address, I can arrive at the nearest tube, vaguely in the vicinity and Facebook will conveniently link the address on the event page to Google Maps.

I’m off to see a new client and I never bothered to write down their telephone number, but I’m running late (not going to get lost because of Google Maps) so I simply visit their website and there is their number.

In fact, I never need to remember anything ever again. Aeroplane tickets are sent via email – on my phone. Train tickets – email me a number to use at the station to pick them up. Event tickets – soon to be bar code on my phone. Voucher coupons for my supermarket shopping – barcode on my phone. The possibilities are endless.

The most important point I’m trying to make is that my phone is now the centre of my entire existence. And thanks to apps (applications to download onto your phone) people are adding functionality to my phone everyday. This, plus the ridiculously easy to use interface, makes the iPhone probably the most useful item I have ever owned, by miles.

This is why we need to all take notice of how businesses can tap into this emerging market. How can marketers use this information to connect with consumers? By integrating mobile into every campaign and moving it to the centre of all of our thinking.

For further reading see:
Mobile Platform Status Report
Mary Meeker on the iPhone and Mobile Marketing