Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and the chief executive officer of News Corporation wasn’t too fond of the iPad when it was unveiled, though it seems he is changing his opinion. Perhaps due to the stupendous success of the ‘magical’ device from Apple? So much that he now feels the iPad is the “perfect platform” to avail up-to-date News Corp content cheap and in the most convenient manner. The media moghul also revealed they are firming up grand plans to make the most of the new technologies available and to further consolidate his company in the age of tablets.
The plan involves making available content in the New York Times and Sunday New York Times websites at a cost. So it’s a paid model that is being held up with news no longer likely to be a free commodity. And lest you think this new strategy is going to bomb, he further added that News Corp has “tens of thousands of readers” who check their news through the apps for the Wall Street Journal, the Times, and the Australian. He feels the idea of letting only those users who have subscribed have access to news content is “the start of a new business model for the internet.” He further defended the business strategy by saying this: “The argument that information wants to be free is only said by those who want it for free.”
His plans seems to be centered around the iPad and its success. He also feels the iPad story still has a lot of surprises left and will continue to do better and better. “It looks like they will sell around 15m iPads this calendar year and more than 40m by 2012. And the iPad is just one of many tablet or slate computers in the pipeline. News Corp fully intends to be across all those platforms too.”
He is banking on the comparatively wealthy user base of the iPad to further his cause of paywalling the Times and Sunday Times websites. However, there is also a section of experts who feel the new business model might be a success in the short term but to hold on to it on the long term might be even more of a challenge.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
