Richard Branson targets iPad domination with ‘Project’

Billionaire Richard Branson held a conference in the Crosby Street Hotel to showcase his new monthly iPad based publication entitled “Project”. He calls this ‘the first truly digital magazine for creative people about creative people'.

This magazine has been developed in partnership with the UK Digital shop Seven Squared. The publication is very interactive, with multimedia content galore and it operates a little like The Times iPad newspaper. You can swipe right and left to move between articles and pages and up and down to move between pages of the same article. To keep the younger audience interested, they have also incorporated lists of Web Links, video and audio clips and funny ways to play with the images.

Branson has his biggest battle against Rupert Murdoch who announces his new ‘The Daily' before the end of the year. Both billionaires are sure to be battling with the gloves off.

Branson even mentioned this in the conference, saying “I've read quite a bit in the past few days about a battle I've launched with a certain newspaperman. This is not a battle, it's not a war, it's the future of publishing, “If people would like to call it a battle, we'll accept that battle as a battle on quality, and I think once you see our competition you'll agree that our team wins, hands-down. It's all about choice, but a fair bit of competition doesn't hurt.”

Who is the winner in this battle? Apple of course, who are said to be helping both billionaires get their product successfully launched for the iPad. After all both are heralding the iPad as the savour of the failing publishing industry.

Branson also commented on the fact that rumours are rife that Apple CEO has a stake in Murdochs “The Daily”. “I don't believe that Jobs has an investment in The Daily, but I may be mistaken,” Branson said on Tuesday. “Nor does he in this project, but I think he's very supportive of both.”

Kitguru says: Is the iPad the future of magazine and newspaper?

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