Apple to the rescue of the Newspaper industry?

It was rumored that Apple is close to launch a 10-inch screen "netbook" type device sometime this year. Although Apple has repeated squashed the speculation that it would sell a low-priced netbook, a bigger iPdod Touch like device, if it can be called "netbook", seems to be aligned with Apple's strategy.

Let's face it: the "netbooks" out there are pieces of junk. The only thing those devices can do is browsing the internet. Apple should never damage its own brand by making similar piece of junk.

If you study Apple closely for the past several years, every time it introduced a new device, there is a clear application that goes with the device. Apple devices have never been a general purpose device at the beginning. As the product evolves, the device can pull in more applications. But at least in the beginning, there is always one new application that goes with a new device.

For example, when Apple introduced iPod, it was all about music and iTunes application. AppleTV was meant to bring video delivered over the Internet to TV screen (with limited success because of the restrictions content providers put on AppleTV). What about iPhone? Initially iPhone was all about multi-touch internet browsing experience. IPhone is the first mobile device that had a true full-blown internet browser (not the garbage WAP browser) and much more (multi-touch interface).

So if Apple is to introduce a 10-in "netbook", what new application it will bring with the device? How about NEWPAPER and BOOKS?

Everyday you hear the news about the financial stress the Newspaper industry is experiencing: shrinking ad dollars due to web competition and economy, compounded by rising costs of printing and distribution. The business model is broken, just as that of the music industry. If iPod saved the music industry, I believe the new Apple "netbook" will save the Newspaper industry.

Imagine a 10-inch netbook with an Application that bring all your favorite newspapers to your finger tips: New York Times, WSJ, Washington Post, and many other. The multi-touch and multi-media interface will be FAR superior to the inky paper we read every day. I for one will cancel my paper sub and opt for digital.

And the Newspaper can sell TARGETED ads on the screen! Again, I stress targeted, meaning the ads can be different on different subscriber's device, based on subscriber's preference.

Obviously, this device won't be a pure book/newspaper reader, as Kindle is. It will have general purpose applications like the iPhone, iPod Touch and Mac PC has. But the killer app for the device would be the Newspaper reader.

Let's wait and see!