Conde Nast is Preparing for the Apple Tablet

Conde Nast says it will have a digital version of Wired magazine ready for the Apple Tablet by mid next year, and eventually create a similar version for all its 18 titles, according to MediaMemo.

Conde says Apple won’t actually talk to the company about its plans for the device — or even acknowledge that it has plans. (One possible exception is the New York Times (NYT), where editor Bill Keller refuses to talk about possible talks with Steve Jobs and co.)

Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend says they are communicating their plans to Apple but representatives still refuse to acknowledge that they’re actually planning a tablet: “They’re not talking to anybody openly,” he says.


Adobe is creating a publishing tool for the tablet format, as well as magazine reader software that may come preinstalled on tablet devices, or may require a download. Adobe is working exclusively with Conde now but will soon open up to other publishers. Apple doesn't seem to inclined to put Adobe software on their devices so its possible the tool will need the ability export to other formats.

Like the iPhone version of GQ’s December issue, Conde says its tablet magazines will feature all of the same content that the print version does, including the original advertising, with the ability to view the pages in their original form or in formats designed specifically for the device. It will also import multimedia content, like videos, and offer the ability to sync up with social networks and other Web sites.

Conde hopes to charge readers for each title and also charge advertisers the same rate as it does for print ads. This may be difficult as customers seem more adverse to paying for digital content over the web.

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