By David Balko

The launch of the iPad has had a tremendous effect upon the technorati and is now demanding the attention of the publishing industry.

Tablet computing is an opportunity for traditional content publishers to present work in an electronic format. 

Most are missing a trick, however, when it comes to developing smart, intuitive interfaces which allow consumers to immerse themselves into real, content-rich worlds. 

IPad apps are in danger of inheriting the worst of the paper format, while not making the most of this new technological medium.

Take the Wired and Popular Science applications for example. It is clear they deliver the excellent written content that readers associate with these publications, but the user experience leaves a lot to be desired.

These and most other titles use a horizontal and vertical linear arrangement, which on the surface seems sensible, but is not immersive, and can be frustrating if readers lose their place in the application.

Key to this problem is the simple fact that publishers are still approaching application building in the same way as they approach a hard-copy issue of a magazine.

Articles and features are written as though they would be put into a magazine and laid out on a static page. To me, this approach is myopic. 

I am not arguing for the abolition of the fourth estate, quite the opposite in fact.

The publishing industry should look at broadcasting for inspiration around visual delivery, and the digital world for ideas on navigation.

Bringing these three disciplines together will enable content to live on the iPad and break free of its current constraints.

The iPad gives us the potential to create content where consumers can access the written word married with great visuals, all wrapped up in a tone that embodies the brand.

Britain has a famous TV programme called Top Gear ? it is a show about cars hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, who, along with the other presenters, is a national journalist as well as a TV presenter.

Top Gear features some of the highest production values around, partnered with fantastic presentation showcasing the cars as a result.

Thanks to all this great content the brand has been extended into a flourishing Web site and magazine. 

This is a great example of a format that naturally lends itself to the iPad. This is where the future lies.

Sport is another TV format which has huge implications for the iPad.

Football fans for instance, would benefit from extra content that is additional to match coverage, so perhaps access to replays, different angles, alternative commentary and additional stats and facts on the players to enrich the viewing experience. 

We must stop thinking in double-page spreads and two-minute packages, instead creating new ways for well-rounded content to be delivered to people who use this technology. 

We are at the beginning of what is possible with tablet technology, and there are massive opportunities for brands willing to explore this new frontier bravely ? retaining the best of the old methods while dropping some of the old, outmoded print ideals. 

David Balko is commercial director of  Digital Jigsaw, London. Reach him at .