NBC gets a hold of a powerpoint with handwritten notes (no less) about yet another probable e-reader. My vote of sad moved it from 3% to 7%.
"Portable digital reading devices are emerging as a big publishing opportunity," a slide on the presentation reads. It mentions as opportunities Sony and Amazon's black-and-white readers, as well as full-color smartphones like the iPhone and forthcoming tablet computers -- large-screen, keyboardless touch-sensitive computing devices -- from HP and Apple.
"Whoever defines the interface wins," another slide concludes. A slide labeled "Key components to the winning model" includes a "commerce engine" -- an online store like Amazon.com; "product design" including "tools for research, design innovation and manufacturing," which suggests plans for a physical gadget; and a "consumer-facing brand" -- a name for the device and service akin to Amazon's Kindle.
The presentation concludes that Time Inc. and other partners should form a new, jointly owned company. Time Inc. might spin out its Maghound service, a service which lets consumers bundle multiple magazines together into a single monthly subscription, to form the base of the joint venture. The company is also considering acquiring other businesses to jumpstart the venture.
Handwritten notes indicate Time Inc. executives have discussed the new venture with other magazine publishers, including Conde Nast, Meredith, and Hearst.
The result, according to the presentation, will be that publishers like Time Inc. will hold "our destiny with readers, advertisers and distributors ... in our hands."
