The Star Publication On iPad: Will we pay for it?


The Star is going all out publicizing on the New Star is now on iPad recently and it didn't struck me until I watched Media Watch: Paying For News wondering how will this all-time rising Star compete with other online content in the future? Especially now when many among the society opts for alternative news which mostly already being very successful in the World Wide Web. Would people actually pay for the news?

At the moment, my family only purchases The Star Newspaper. My parents pays a subscription to get it sent daily to our doorstep, this provided as source of revenue to for workers/distributor on motorbike every 7am, except public holiday. Sometimes, I can still remember my daddy will get upset when the newspaper-man was late (~7.45am) or didn't show up at all because my dad is always very punctual in everything, even with his morning routine of be downstairs by 7am, make morning drink and lay out some biscuits, grab newspaper from the outside, let me dog out, read his paper until 7.50am, wear socks and it's time to go to work. So if the paper didn't come or was late, he will go to work early, buys the Star from a shop nearby and read it in the office. My daddy was in the Navy when he was younger, he doesn't like wasting time. 

My daddy is 55 years-young, falls under the category of baby-boomers and he knows how to use the minimum functions of a laptop like Microsoft office savvy, hard-core gamer of spider solitaire (plays them every night in his room, like a kid :D) and knows how to browse the web, go through emails and youtube. Oh not to forget, his alternative news portal would be Malaysia Kini, he reads these alternative news at night with his personal laptop before going to bed. 

Trust me, if you are curious on why he still choose to purchase the printed version of The Star Newspaper? I, myself am curious too! Why don't he just read them online when he is highly capable to do so? Many would also say that the online version has more news coverage and with the latest updates. 

What if I got him an iPad? Will he be able to get used to it? Imagine him using iTunes, one horrible system of syncing and other ding-dongs of teaching him about this whole new iOS of Apps and how it is different than his laptop. Will he still be able to enjoy his spider solitaire without a mouse clicking all the way? or maybe he would be able to lay on his bed while 'flipping' through the The Star iPad version? Oh dear lord, stop my imagination please. 

If my daddy and mummy both owns and iPad each, will they stop buying them in print? If yes, the next question is will they pay for the iPad Version? If they have an iPad, why don't they just browse news online if it is the same thing? If they are needed to pay for the premium content, what consist or make-up the Premium content? 

I think I will miss those times when all three of us would sit at the dining table and share the print newspaper, each read different parts/sections of the paper. 

Me, a gen-y soon to be working young adult personally will not pay for the iPad version of The Star but I like the fact that they are working towards adopting the new way of spreading the news. I don't know about other generations though, what are the concerns on this? 

Comments

Shopaholic said…
My dad is kinda like your dad. Minus the punctual part. I don't think my dad will replace his old school newspaper with electronic ones, even though he does visit the star's website. But why would we pay if the website has the same news for free?
April 17, 2012 at 9:57 AM
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