New Technology Two.

Whilst on the course, what developments have been made in the wider field of new technology?

iPads, created by Apple, have definitely made an impact in the real world of media, as recently there has been news of new apps such as Vogue and Marie Claire with a moving front cover. Here is a link for the article, informing the public on this new feature. (www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1339398/All-magic-Emma-Watson-moving-magazine-cover-wouldnt-Hermione-pleased.html) Other magazines are beginning to produce iPad editions, such as Empire (www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/1048601/Bauer-launches-first-iPad-edition-form-Empire). Empire have also decided to cut down on advertising - which is usually a big factor in terms of magazines making their money. This is to allow for more in-depth advertising and integration with editorial.
Another new media gadget that was released in the year of 2010 was a Kindle. It is an electronic device for downloading, storing and reading electronic books, known as e-books. It was developed by a company called Lab 126 which is a subsidiary of Amazon. The Kindle has instant wireless access to Amazon.com and their hug number of e-books (over 115,000 and growing). You can read newspapers, subscribe to magazines and blogs, and play audio files such as MP3's or audio books. The Kindle is compact and lightweight so it is easy to handle. It can be every useful if you are going on holiday and you don't want to pack lots of thick books. Then you can download e-books and read them on your Kindle.
Online magazines are also becoming much more popular due to the less amount of money that people are able to spend on luxury products, such as magazines. www.onlinemagazines.com provides a list of new online magazines. Some on the list involve Arabella, Glamour and GQ. Due to the financial crisis, people are more likely to just read online magazines where they can receive information on their given topic for free. However, this has its disadvantages. Most people enjoy to sit down on the sofa or in bed with their magazine. But if you don't have a wireless laptop, then you can't do this. Also, this actual magazines, you have access to taking it anywhere with you and it isn't hard to carry around, especially now that you have the option of buying a small or larger version.

How might you build those into your product/s?



What is forecast to really take off this year?

It is predicted that social media is going to take off during 2011. Social media budgets will rise in marketing as it plays a huge part across all areas of any business from customer service, product development, sales, HR etc. Brands are now aware that participating in social media on some level is a must and therefore marketing budgets will be shifted to incorporate it.


(media predictions)