Media experts say that the market is too small for a paid digital Dutch-language daily newspaper published exclusively for the iPad.

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and Apple CEO Steve Jobs are currently developing just such an 'iPaper' - in English - for the tablet computer.

Newspaper expert Piet Bakker says The Daily is a viable initiative because of the huge number of potential readers. "It is a US initiative, but is not limited by national borders, and will also find readers outside the US. The Daily only needs to attract a few percent of the many millions of potential customers." Piet Bakker teaches cross media content at the University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht.

Paperless newspaper
Jacob Groshek, Media and Communication professor at Rotterdam's Erasmus University, says it's unlikely that many Dutch people will subscribe to The Daily. He agrees with Piet Bakker that there is not much chance that a Dutch version will be published any time soon. "Possibly the Netherlands will have its own paperless paper in about five years", Professor Groshek says.

Dutch media experts are looking forward to The Daily's launch, scheduled to take place in just a few weeks. Piet Bakker says: "I want to know whether the new medium will prove to be an interesting alternative... So far, everything being developed for the iPad has been a spin-off of existing newspapers. Also, the subscription rate of 99 cents a week will be much cheaper than printed newspapers."

The Daily will have to survive in an overcrowded media landscape. According to Professor Groshek, "Many existing newspaper and news websites are already publishing special versions for the iPad, both free and paid." Piet Bakker adds that "a new product that people will be willing to pay for must be much better than the free news site NU.nl and many times cheaper than the iPad editions of existing newspapers which now cost 79 cents."

Viable
The experts don't doubt that The Daily will prove to be viable. "This project will surely survive and turn a profit, but it will take time for it to succeed," Professor Groshek says. Piet Bakker expects The Daily will have to generate most of its income through subscriptions, because the advertising market is under pressure. "Everything Steve Jobs touches turns to gold, but it is a major step for Apple to go into publishing. So far, the company has only been selling devices which spread information, news and music."

Professor Groshek expects that in 20 years paperless newspapers will be the new standard and readers will get most of their news from electronic sources. "However, we should not jump to conclusions and decide that the iPad is the future. I regard it primarily as an experiment." Piet Bakker believes iPad newspapers will be able to coexist with printed publications: "The Daily will not become a serious competitor to The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times, but mainly to free papers and websites by being more complete and much better quality."