The Daily, Rupert Murdoch’s $30 million iPad launch of what it calls the 21st Century newspaper, but looks more like an internet magazine, is an intriguing delivery of a new news product using a cover-flow paradigm made popular by Apple in iTunes which allows a quick examination of the content via an automatic roll or a swipe of the finger.

It appears to be a fine product out of the gate, with video, audio flash events all put together with some 50 journalists producing tightly written features and stories ranging in content from news to sports promising an update to change in story line throughout the day.  However, time will tell if these promises will prove to be true in reality.  For example there doesn’t seem to be any page for breaking news.

It is a magazine not a newspaper on line.  It is slick with photos, style gossip, but the stories seem to have a longer staying power on line because they are delivered in a feature like format with graphic photos and video which you see more in magazines than newspapers.

Journalism is in a transitional phase to its developing future, which Murdock is putting his bucks behind along with Apple and Verizon to serve up an innovative form of delivery of the news in a medium that the world is embracing.

However, it is no longer a 24/7 news cycle, today it is news by the minute and formats on the web must accommodate this.  I doubt that this paradigm can meet this need.

From what I have seen in the two week period that has been free before The Daily goes to a payed subscription of $1 per week or $40 for the year, there are some hurdles that Murdock et. al., will have to overcome.

For example they have opened with one ad by Range Rover, but by the time the ad is downloaded, I could by pass the ad and go to the next page with the swipe of a finger.  Advertisers will not put up with this.

The cite works best through Wi-Fi which is recommended on page one.  So much for android and 4G’s.

To date the Daily is an island unto itself.  All of its bucks are in the iPad and future readers.  However, there is no way to link from this site or to this site with a URL.  It says it is not an island, but that is what it is at this stage.  It has no cross pollination which will drive future readers.

Its format and delivery represents the demographics it is reaching for, the youth and adult of tomorrow.  Fast paced, quick talking  and messages in short bites.

Content is an important element in any Website, and the quality of The Daily’s journalism will make or break the site.  And at this point it is too early to assess this, but from what I have read to date  it more than meets a high level of journalistic standards, but will it eventually produce columnists or writers that drive readers to the site.

For now The Daily thinks it’s a newspaper, but readers seem to think its a magazine.

I happen to find the format intriguing, pleasing, meeting today’s culture and pleasant to move through whether it be automatically or with a swipe of a finger.

With all of the positives surrounding the cover-flow paradigm and the presentation of the feature stories, it is not good at the outset to define the product as a newspaper because you change its content daily, when the reader sees it representing the format of a magazine.

Perception is reality and its not a good idea to allow your audience to determine your identity.