NYT : With Apple Tablet, Print Media Hope for a Payday

An interesting article on the eve of the alleged Apple Tablet release. Doe a good job of explaining why the ailing media industry is all atwitter, but also outlines some of the potential pitfalls:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/technology/26apple.html?em

Summary:

It will run all the applications of theiPhone and iPod Touch, have a persistent wireless connection over 3G cellphone networks and Wi-Fi, and will be built with a 10-inch color display, allowing newspapers, magazines and book publishers to deliver their products with an eye to the design that had grabbed readers in print.

Their optimism for the tablet also stems from consumers’ willingness to spend money using mobile devices. In the last decade, while people downloaded music illegally to their desktop computers, they happily paid small amounts of money on their cellphones to download ring tones and send text messages.

The iPhone has provided further proof that the economics of mobile devices are unique: the Apple App Store is expected to generate an estimated $1.4 billion this year, according to an analysis by Piper Jaffray.