Steve Smith of minonline writes abou the launch of Fortune‘s iPad edition.
Smith writes, “Fortune clearly is aiming to convince readers of the added value of the iPad version. This week’s cover story ‘Is Google Over?’ boasts an animation in which the Google logo melts into a multi-colored puddle. Many of the sections have embedded slideshows with many more images than the print version, or video of the editors talking through their pieces. An interactive ‘Company Index’ lets the user tap a firm mentioned in the issue to get dynamic data on their current stock price from CNN Money. One of several iPad exclusive pieces includes a gallery of technology themed covers of the magazine going back to 1930. Several ads for sponsors like IBM and Chase include embedded videos and slideshows that give the ad clients a wider range of narrative tools for their ad units.
“Rather than dazzle us with multimedia pyrotechnics and novel navigational schemes, Fortune appears to be focusing on an enhanced but familiar magazine experience. iPad developers tell us they have been surprised by the appetite users show for images in these digitized magazines. Several publishers also tell us that focus groups they tested are gravitating towards the enhanced advertising in these issue.
“Fortune launches its iPad program just as its parent company engages in a dispute with Apple over how to charge for magazines in the App Store.”
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