Augmented reality may just save the print industry
Leading augmented reality developer Aurasma and The Philadelphia Inquirer have announced a partnership this week that will debut North America’s first augmented reality newspaper. Augmented reality has been becoming a popular subject in the publishing industry recently. The technology could potentially revitalize what is considered an obsolete medium by offering consumers and interactive digital experience. The Philadelphia Inquirer is keen to see just what benefits the technology can bring and how consumers will react to a new generation of newspapers.
The Philadelphia Inquirer will load its pages with digital content that can be viewed from the Aurasma mobile application available for both Android and iOS mobile devices. Readers need only to point their phones at a page containing the content to view it. This content will include anything from exclusive videos covering a multitude of topics to additional articles on a particular subject. Readers will also be able to share their opinions about the content through the Aurasma application.
The Philadelphia Inquirer will be the first newspaper in North America to use augmented reality on a large scale. The technology has been used in the past in magazine publications, which were well received by consumers. The newspaper believes that readers will respond well to the initiative and will continue to develop content to be viewed through the Aurasma app.
The first augmented reality version of the newspaper will go on sale May 6, 2012.
