Ultra Impact IPad Stand

Ultra Impact's iPad Stand is a simple stand made out of recycled Bamboo and designed to be a sturdy hunk of desk furniture-you can even get it engraved. At 6 inches wide, 6 inches deep, and 2 inches high, you'll probably want to use the stand at home or the office rather than carrying it around in your bag, although it's light enough, at just over six ounces, to tote along in a pinch.

The Stand is limited to propping your iPad in either of two positions, each supporting landscape and portrait orientation: propped up at an approximate angle of 75 degrees for viewing video or photos or for using an external keyboard, or laid back (at around 35 to 40 degrees) for typing. Unfortunately, the iPad Stand's grooves for the prop-up position aren't wide enough to accommodate an iPad in most protective cases, though it does fit an iPad 2 with a Smart Cover or either iPad model with a slim cover.

The stand itself is mostly smooth and polished, but I was a little concerned that the rough edges of the grooves could scratch the iPad's front glass if a sudden movement (like your cat walking across the table) destabilizes it. Also, at least one of our review sample's rubbery "bumpers"-designed to protect the back of the iPad when it's in the typing position-had fallen off, increasing the possibility of the stand itself scratching the back of the iPad.

When sitting in the iPad Stand in landscape orientation, you can connect Apple's dock-connector cable for charging and syncing; in portrait orientation, however, there's not enough room to attach the cable to the bottom of the iPad unless you turn the iPad upside-down.

While durable, sturdy, and fairly serviceable, the iPad Stand is a bit bulky, and it's less flexible and elegant than some other stands I've seen.

(Ultra Impact also sells the iPad Stand in black plastic.)

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The Impact of Table Computers on Retailers Selling Magazines and Newspapers

In a smart move, the Virgin organization is providing free access between Christmas and the New Year to the launch issue if Project, their digital only magazine available through the iPad. I grabbed my copy yesterday. It's pretty cool - making good use of video and some clever navigation techniques as is de rigueur for iPad magazines. I like the experience and think Project will appeal to iPad users.

After looking through the magazine, I thought about whether I would subscribe. Probably not. While the content is quite unique and the experience very iPad friendly, I am looking for an experience which takes me completely away fro the magazine experience. This is where I think we are headed.

The iPad experiences being developed today are to help people transition to the device. The real innovation will be in second generation apps and beyond, where the experience is not like today's print magazine experience. Indeed, the experience will not be anything like a magazine as we know it.

How people access, consume and share news and information has changed dramatically in the last few years. Magazines, print, online and digital on devices like the iPad, are still coming to grips with this. The world is quite different to the world in which their older style products were conceived.

The challenge for older model publishers is that the needs of advertisers are out of sync with the needs of consumers. Look at any local viral story from the last year. A decade ago, the story would have sold tens of thousands of copies of newspapers. Thanks to Twitter and mobile phones, viral stories now spread faster than any older model media outlet could handle.

This is the experience I am looking for from my iPad, connecting me with breaking stories closer to the source and with the capacity to comment, add, forward and otherwise interact with the story. This is what next generation apps will offer, making the currently cool looking Project app seem out of date quite soon.

That said, I also want the device to connect me with analysis and review - I am happy for this to be in a more traditional newspaper or magazine experience. However, given what I can get today online for free, I am not so sure that I will pay for it on the iPad.

Now, before newsagents and other magazine retailers think that I see print as being dead... no, not yet. The next three to five years will see magazines continue to be important in our businesses. Beyond that... it's anyone's guess. And that is what makes being a newsagent today exciting. We are part of a reinvention of the model.

Mark Fletcher is a retailer, business advisor and author writing at http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au.