I'm a Mac obsessive. My iPhone goes everywhere I do, I'm typing this on a MacBook Air, and, full disclosure, I even have some stock in the company. But I never got the iPad, or had the slightest interest in owning one.
But I get it now. Thanks to The Daily.
Rupert Murdoch's "national news publication for the iPad that we have created from scratch," as he called it at Wednesday's unveiling, feels game-changing. The layout is beautiful, the interaction between video, photos and websites is for the most part flawless, and the presentation is easy to follow. It could easily become a best friend to commuters, airline travelers, even people out for a stroll.
Also read: Criticism of 'Lefties' Already Creeping Into The Daily
As I cabbed, then walked, from The Daily's unveiling, an Apple iPad loaner in hand, I found myself flipping through pages and playing videos even while walking over icy sidewalks. Maybe The Daily will be a chiropractor's best friend, too.
This being a Rupert Murdoch enterprise, skeptics will study the iPad-only publication -- which launched in Apple's App Store Wednesday morning -- for evidence of raw politicking and tawdry tabloidism. And they'll find a little of both, though presented with nuance.
There are many, many photos of runway models, trophy wives and starlets. An article about insurers using astrological signs to track who has the most traffic accidents would seem fluffy if it weren't also true -- and fascinating.
There will likely be many years of internal push-pull over such issues, as there are everywhere. But no one should debate The Daily's sheer elegance of appearance and function. Its touch-screen interactivity combines all the advantages of video, print and photojournalism to make you feel in the center of the news -- sometimes literally.
The 360-degree news photos, which make you feel like you're in the middle of the action, will quickly become a calling card. They have to be seen. The better word might be experienced.
Also read: Murdoch Launches His iPad-Only Newspaper
One chaos-in-the-streets photo of Egypt -- the kind Newsweek and Time have to splash across two paper pages -- actually made me dizzy as I swept across it while riding in a cab. The shot didn't even cover a full 360, but it felt exactly like looking down at the demonstrations from atop a tall building. I can't remember another news photograph that made me feel so enveloped in a story.
The Daily also makes excellent use of video. An otherwise straightforward weather story was brilliantly illustrated by video of a car careening on ice, as the camera seemed to follow closely behind it. It was the kind of adrenaline-pumping view you usually only get when you're about to get in a very ugly accident -- not while reading the news.
Other thrills feel cheaper.
