Apple iPad and Magazine Subscriptions - Macgyver

His glassy essence, like an angry ape,

Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven,

As make the angels weep

Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, II, 2

Like the Bloom Energy Server, the Apple iPad marked the future for magazines and a new way to leverage content to otherwise disinterested Generation X [ages 29 to 45]  and Generation Y [ages 14 to 28]  as per my blog article entitled “Digicel, Samsung Galaxy Tablets and Newspapers - Tomorrow Never Dies and the Paper Man”.

After all, one would reason, it is a great way to leverage content necessary to a presentation in the Senate as discovered by House Representative Senator Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who waxed melodic of the wonderful properties of this slate as stated in the article “iPad arrives in the House of Representatives”, published December 31, 2010 12:27 PM PST by Jim Dalrymple, CNET News – Apple as opined in my blog article entitled “Apple iPad and the House of Representatives - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.

Indeed, the Apple iPad is benefiting from the fact that despite a Recession with no sight in end in sight, possibly the worst since WWII. This despite the harsh economy and job losses, as still bullish about making the online cash registers ring as per the article “Study: So people do pay for online content”, published December 30, 2010 7:43 AM PST by Lance Whitney, CNET News - Digital Media

The article “Most US Internet users have paid for content”, published Friday December 31, 2010 2:29 am ET, AFP, Yahoo! News to the tune of 65% surveyed, at least this according to Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Folks, this is no ordinary recession; people are indeed spending like their forefathers in hard times on items of pleasure, with money still coming from the Formal and Black Economy as stated in the article “Definition of the Black Economy”, viewed Sunday December 5 2010, Business Dictionary.

Customer purchases are more with regards to consumer electronics and Internet Services as opposed to booze and moonshine in the Prohibition period of the 1920’s as stated in the article “Prohibition of Alcohol during the Great Depression”, viewed Sunday December 5 2010, Living History Farm. This is at least gratifying, as I was personally of the opinion that Generation Y, the more Internet-savvy generation, would be less amenable to buying stuff online as opposed to poaching it from The Pirate Bay as slanted in prior opinions expressed in my blog article entitled UWI and Piracy - The Real Pirate Bay” and the article entitled “UWI and Piracy - Release the Kraken”.

Somehow, I find this survey a tad hard to believe, as it seems interesting that those people surveyed, whose age demographic is not specified, could be so forthright as to declare that they STILL spend online. After all, common sense tells me that most content and services online are free – if you know where to look. You can even make you own ring tones instead of buying them as per the article “Make your own ring tones online”, published September 16, 2009 1:46 PM PDT by Don Reisinger, CNET News - Webware. Thus, I am surprised that the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project did not endeavour to break down the statistics based on age, the demographic of main interest, as Credit Card ownership starts above eighteen (18) years old.

It would be interesting to see if Generation Y [ages 14 to 28], the demographic of interest, was really part of the trend, as I suspect it may not be the case, if they are honest. If, however, the statistics were to indicate that they were, then it would just be another case of Social Control as stated in “Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective”, authors Peter L. Berger, published by Doubleday and Company Inc, Garden City, New York (1963), p 68 - 92 i.e. Generation Y participants in the study giving a response that would be favourable to those people in control of society, so as not to let anyone get suspicious that they were not buying things online.

Somewhat akin to the answer given to a similar question posed by Media Practitioner Marcia Forbes about the fall off in Internet usage among students in the age range 20 to 24 years old in the All Media MRSL Survey as stated in the article “'Jamaica to the World' via the Internet”, published Thursday March 25^th 2010, by Marcia Forbes, The Jamaica Observer.  I neatly answered in my blog article entitled “MRSL Survey and how to capture unbiased statistical data”.

After all, if you were copying Windows software or downloading illegally obtained music, would you so plainly admit it in a survey, even if random and anonymous? Especially if you knew that they are shutting down download sites, news of which was publicly being announced in popular media websites such as CNET and ZDNet?

I even took the issue further and answered another of her queries with regards to the eventual fate of Radio posed in the article “What fate for Radio in Jamaica?”, posted Monday, March 15, 2010,  by Marcia Forbes further to extrapolate into the future what would happen to free-to-air broadcast radio as per my blog article entitled “Broadcasters, Radio and DSO - What will be the Fate of Radio after DSO”: Ragashanti-eqsue talk show radio.!

Ok. Putting aside the possibility that all one thousand and three (1003) telephone interviewees, of whom 75.3% or seven hundred and fifty five (755) persons live on the ‘Net are NOT lying, this is a very good sign for the Economic Recovery, as it translates to increased Government taxes for the Americans. Jamaica, which catches the American penchant every two (2) years (my estimate!) is not too far behind as e-banking on smartphones as stated in the article “Customers spur bank competition online”, published Friday, June 25, 2010 By Alicia Roache, The Jamaica Observer.

This is especially as it helps to make banks more efficient as stated in the article “The Case for Mobile Banking”, published Friday, November 19, 2010 by AL EDWARDS, The Jamaica Observer is trending. Even Haiti is catching the trend, courtesy of Telecom Provider Digicel as stated in the article “Digicel brings mobile banking to Haiti”, published Wednesday, November 24, 2010, The Jamaica Observer.

NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to make your proverbial “right arm” into a e-wallet is not too far fetched a possibility, as the recently minted Google Nexus S powered by Google Android 2.3 aka Gingerbread sports this futuristic money dispenser. The Apple refresh of the Apple iPhone, slated for later in January 2011, may debut with this as well as opined in my blog article entitled “Telecom Provider, Apple, Google and NFC - In Her Majesty's Secret Service”.

Thus with such a healthy outlook on subscriptions via Credit and Debit Card and the infamous Virtual VISA Credit Cards and PayPal in the case of Jamaica for the too-busy individual (famous last words: “just charge it to my card!”), it behooves me as to why Apple cannot get magazine subscriptions right.

So says the article “Why iPad Magazines are failing”, published Thursday December 30, 2010 9:44 am ET  by Leslie Horn - PC Magazine, Yahoo! News. Still, I am hopeful for a solution, soon, as neither side wishes to relinquish or cede any turf to the other, especially as magazines traditionally have made most of the money from subscriptions.

Apple has deemed as being too low, forcing magazine subscribers to purchase each magazine every thirty (30) days, thus upping the price but killing the six (6) month and yearly subscription model that has been the mainstay of the Magazine Industry before a lack of reading forced them into a decline spiral. The Apple iPad appeared to be their Knight in Shining Armour, but is making iTunes-esque demands, making the Magazine barons wary of CEO Steve Job’s machinations for their future.

After all, Apple has effectively made themselves an effective monopoly via the cult-like success of the Apple iTunes store, a curious beneficiary from continued online music sales. Perhaps a music tie in for the Ping Social Network with each magazine subscription as per the article “Ping attracts 1 million users in 48 hours”, published Tuesday September 7, 2010 10:38 am ET by Lex Friedman, Yahoo! News and free advertising for the Apple iTunes Store could help to soothe negotiations?

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg may not be the only persons that Apple CEO Steve Jobs can negotiate with via wining and dining as per the article “Report: Zuckerberg, Jobs Dine, Talk Ping in Apple CEO's Home”, published Sunday October 17, 2010 10:49 am ET by Leslie Horn - PC Magazine, Yahoo! News.

Seems only fair, as after all, The Apple iPad, coming clear out of left field as a saviour, still needs to make a living from the nearly vanquished, MacGyver (TV Series 1985-1992) Style!