The speculation for Apple’s newest device has been playing out for months on the web, while the technology giant remained deftly quiet, until today.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs was beside himself at the announcement: “It’s very thin and you can change the background screen and personalize it any way you want. We built in a great address book, have a great maps application with Google built in. What this device does is extraordinary. You can browse the web with it. It’s the best web experience you’ve ever had. It’s way better than a laptop, way better then a phone. You can turn it any way you want. To see the whole page is phenomenal.”

Apple is known for being a game changer, first with with the Itunes store and music, then with the Iphone and mobile applications, now with the iPad.

Electronic readers have been around for years. Apple knew if they just released another e-reader, it would most likely fail or at best fall in line with all of the other e-reader devices. While (the device) is impressive and has the usual Apple allure, look closer and you will see this Apple is less about technology and more about launching a new medium.

Today’s announcement is much bigger. Apple has once again created a platform for content, not just from traditional publishers, but for anyone - yes crowdsourcing. Its a page right out of the Iphone App Store play book. Supply a free platform development kit and stand back and watch hundreds of thousands develop and post.

Apple has a history of taking an industry in decline, like the recording industry, creating a device that re-energizes interest, and make a great deal of money form it. The new iPad is following along those lines.

This same strategy that lead to more than 100,ooo apps for the Iphone and revenue of more than $1 billion dollars. Apple’s take 30%, helping to double Apple’s overall revenue in 2009.

They did it with Itunes too, selling more than 6 billion songs so far, at a time when the recording industry was in a death spiral from declining sales and pirated music.

The publishing industry is looking for a silver bullet that might pull them out of a multi-year slide, but already publishers are making the error of a “if we print it they will come” mentality.

McGraw-Hill’s CEO Terry McGraw told CNBC, “We have worked with Apple for quite a while. And the Tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system and so it will be transferable. So what you are going to be able to do now — we have a consortium of e-books. And we have 95% of all our materials that are in e-book format on that one. So now with the tablet you’re going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just really terrific.”

Granted publishers will save in printing costs, but that doesn’t necessarily mean revenue growth.

The iPad now opens the publishing, broadcast, entertainment, and journalism industries open to anyone that has content to offer. Legacy may get a company in the door, but it will be the publications that offer better quality and value that will flourish in this new medium. Did people quit reading books and magazines because they were no longer relevant or because they could read better coverage online? Does a poorly produced newscast suddenly generate new viewers in high definition, or amplify the shortcomings?

The iPad goes on sale immediately and ships in 60-90 days. The device will be available in multiple memory sizes (just like the iPhone), beginning with a 16GB model and on up to 64GB. The pricetag, surprisingly, begins at just $499 for the 16GB version and runs to $699 for the 64GB version. 3G models will cost you $829.

Kindle is in trouble.

Technology is forcing change, and giving consumers choices. Mass media should take notice, “the medium is the message”.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 4:39 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.