Rupert Murdoch's oft-delayed, much-anticipated iPad "newspaper" — "The Daily" — is set to launch on Wednesday at a press event at New York's Guggenheim Museum — that is, if the ice storm that’s bearing down on the tri-state area forces yet another cancellation. (Though it is, after all, Groundhog Day.)
1. How much is Murdoch spending on the launch?
About $30 million. At least, that's the widely-circulating figure, though expect Murdoch to scoff at the number when he's asked about it tomorrow.
2. Who's on the staff?
Here's a partial list (at least 55) via Poynter of the publication's reported 100 staffers — including Jesse Angelo, Richard Johnson, Sasha Frere-Jones and more.
3. How much will it cost to download? And when will it be available in the Apple Store?
Word is "The Daily" will cost $.99 for a week's subscription — a watershed moment for publishers, since up until now Apple has not allowed subscriptions through the iTunes Store. News Corp. will also try to build its reader-base through a free, two-week trial. I'm told the publication will be available to download tomorrow, though it's not clear if "The Daily" will be released before or after the Guggenheim event.
4. Will there be a launch party?
Yes, tonight, at Murdoch's own apartment though it's so "low-key," even Peter Kafka, who covers media for All Things Digital — which, like "The Daily," is owned by News Corp. — was apparently not invited.
5. Will there be a Web component?
Yes. TheDaily.com, which will ostensibly try to convert Web surfers into subscribers by offering a small sampling (Kafka says 10 percent).
6. Will there be 3-D content?
Not yet. As Kafka notes, the 3-D video that unnamed staffers gushed about during "The Daily's" development is not quite ready.
7. Will it work?
That's the $30 million question — which, for Murdoch, is chump-change. But for other publishers looking at the iPad as a quasi-savoir for print, the success or failure of "The Daily" could be a guide to their tablet future.
[Photo illustration by TheWrap]
