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Intrigued, But Not Immersed: Millennials Analyze the iPad’s Performance as a News Platform. International Symposium on Online Journalism Austin, Texas – April 1, 2011 Jake Batsell, assistant professor Southern Methodist University @jbatsell. Methodology The ground rules
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Intrigued, But Not Immersed:Millennials Analyze the iPad’sPerformance as a News Platform International Symposium on Online Journalism Austin, Texas – April 1, 2011 Jake Batsell, assistant professor Southern Methodist University @jbatsell
Methodology The ground rules • iPad pilot program • Two classes • 4-day checkouts • Assigned ratings √ Immediacy √ Non-linear presentation √ Multimedia √ Interactivity • Blogged reviews
Methodology Sample overview • 26 female, 2 male • 27 in 20s, 1 in 40s • 27 U.S., 1 Bulgarian • 3 Hispanic • 1 Asian-American • 1 African-American • Typical participant was white, female American millennial college student Caveats • Small sample (28) • Millennials aren’t the news industry’s target consumer for iPad apps – yet
Findings Immediacy • Avg score = 3.1/5 • Surprisingly stale • “Old news” • Updated once daily Standouts • ESPN ScoreCenter • Glamour Laggards • New York Post • ABC News • Image credit: American Journalism Review
Findings Non-linear presentation • Avg score = 3.4/5 • Passing grade • Good customization • Awkward navigation • Limited options Standouts • ESPN ScoreCenter • New York Times Laggards • Fox4 News (Dallas) • Washington Post • Image credit: Sports Illustrated
Findings Multimedia • Avgscore = 3.7/5 • Occasionally dazzling qualities Standouts • Time Magazine • New York Times • Ebony’s 65thanniv. • ESPN ScoreCenter Laggards • New York Post • GQ • Image credit: American Journalism Review • New York Times: “The picture is unbelievably clear (much better than that on the iPhone), and the sound isn’t muffled like it can be on the iPhone” • New York Post: “Interactivity and multimedia content were very minimal (huge bummer).”
Findings Interactivity • Avgscore = 3.3/5 • Largely disappointing Standouts • Esquire • New Yorker Laggards • MTV News • People Magazine • Image credit: American Journalism Review • Ebony: “I think they should look into expanding readers’ options even further, and they might consider linking to some of their sources for those readers who want more.” • MTV News: “Don’t bother, MTV. Just stick to your website.”
Conclusions • First wave of iPad News apps weren’t immediate or interactive enough for this group of millennials • Image credit: American Journalism Review • Students said premium apps aren’t worth the extra money yet • Too many news apps resemble shovelware • Students generally prefer websites to apps
Closing Thoughts • Millennials’ iPad news experience differs from the GenX & Baby Boomers in Reynolds iPad study • Why important? 50 million millennials age 18-29 forming lifelong habits • Future research: 2nd wave of tablet apps (Xoom, Galaxy, Playbook, iPad 2) • Image credit: Texas Monthly