Who reads print magazines when so many people have tablets?
At least that seems to be the thinking behind a company’s idea for a new cover—turning a tablet into a magazine.
In a report in Tab Times, a OnePoll survey found that at least 25 percent of 2,000 British tablet owners polled did not take their device on vacation because they were afraid it would be stolen. Another 36 percent said they “constantly” watched their tablet while on vacation, and 29 percent said they kept their device hidden under clothing or shoes.
Lekiosk, a digital magazine newsstand, has come up with an idea for a tablet cover that would make it look like a glossy magazine when closed.
“When it comes to providing entertainment, tablets like the iPad are extremely versatile—that’s why so many Brits have started taking the devices on holiday with them. But there aren’t as many iTravellers as there might be—because people are worried that their precious slates will be targeted by pool-side thieves,” Lekiosk’s head of international business development, Nathaniel Philippe, said in a release. “And even the Brits who do take their tablets on holiday with them are resorting to watching them like hawks—or taking a risk and hiding them under piles of clothing.”
The biggest concern I see is this: What if someone actually wants to read your (faux) magazine? Maybe they pick it up to sift through it, and instead—wow!—it’s an iPad.
Lekiosk is not making many covers in the initial release. It will wait to gauge interest before committing to more cases.
