Will iPads seem more futuristic than magazines to the people born today? Assuming both still exist in some similar form in fifteen years, will young people see an iPad as new and a magazine as old the way we do, or will their lack of preconceptions take them both as differently-equipped equals? They both fall short in certain categories when compared to the other.
The iPad is an exciting version of the magazine. It glows and has animations. The magazine is a more stable version of the iPad. It never crashes or runs out of battery. It provides a non-interruptive reading experience. You can touch them. [1] In many ways magazines are preferrable.
People old enough to be reading this now see laptops and tablets as new inventions that have come in and emulated magazines and newspapers. I wonder how people will see it who are born into a world with both.
Granted iPads do a lot more than emulate magazines. I'm only focusing on their function as an e-reader. Is it going to last? Will it put magazines into extinction? Are we excited by a new toy?
[1] More reading: http://worrydream.com/ABriefRantOnTheFutureOfInteractionDesign/