Publishing for a tablet like the iPad introduces new challenges that are different from those faced when publishing for print. There are no double spread and every image has the same format, potentially leading to a dull presentation. Journalists are learning to integrate stills with audio, video, text, blogs, maps and graphics. Where before you had an editor and knowledgeable designer to set it up for you in print, now you have to do it pretty much all by yourself as well as hire an expensive programmer to code your app.
Photojournalist Kadir van Lohuizen publishes his in-depth stories on the iPad using the vía PanAm iPad app, bypassing traditional media and using the iTunes store to underwrite much of the costs of publishing and delivery.
Other photojournalists are using other apps and the problem with the Apple app platform quickly becomes apparent: each person has to build an app from scratch, which is an expensive affair. None of them believes their apps will become a financial success and feel lucky if they break even. An estimate is that they’ll need to sell between 20,000 and 30,000 apps just to break even.
Learn more about vía PanAm iPad app.
Read the article at: bjp.
