Apple Scrambling for iPad Content

Maybe the iPad’s tagline “wonderful and magical” should be downgraded to “neat and handy”.  According to an article in today’s WSJ, Apple is scrambling to line-up content for its multi-media device in time for its release.  Sounds like it will take some time before consumers will be able to realize the full potential of the tablet:  

Apple Inc. is still trying to secure media content for the iPad with just weeks to go before the tablet computer’s release, said people familiar with the matter, as the company tempers some of its initial ambitions for the much-hyped device.

Since the iPad became available for pre-order last Friday, Apple has seen strong demand and sold hundreds of thousands of units, say people familiar with the matter. One of these people said Apple could sell more iPads in the first three months than it sold iPhones in the three months after the smart phone’s debut.

But lining up TV programming, digital newspapers and other content ahead of the iPad’s April 3 release has proven difficult for Apple as some potential collaborators weigh the advantages of working with the company against the potential threats to their current sources of revenue, people familiar with the matter say.

Apple is still negotiating with media companies for a price cut on TV shows that people can download onto the device, some of these people say. Apple also hoped to work closely with newspaper, magazines and textbook publishers on new ways to digitally present print content on the iPad, but has for now put the effort on backburner, said one of the people.

The last-minute discussions show the complexities that Apple and Chief ExecutiveSteve Jobs are facing in creating an Internet-connected multimedia device, which has pushed the company to pare back some of its initial intentions for the iPad’s release.”