Sydsvenskan for the iPad Launches

Early in the morning today the first issue of Swedish daily Sydsvenskan's iPad newspaper was released: Sydsvenskan for the iPad. "We've gotten a lot of credit for our hard work," says Anders Olofsson, head of digital development for the SDS Group.

Olofsson is extremely happy with the premier issue. "The news desk has undertaken a gargantuan task," says Olofsson. "I'm proud of and even a bit moved by the work we've done. We've gotten attention for our links to other sites, our linked teasers and our sharp format."

Redoing a printed newspaper or launching a new site is one thing. But working with a product that's just come out on the Swedish market with partially finished software is another thing, says Petra Villani, format manager at Sydsvenskan.

"This means a whole new way of working," says Villani. "We have been printing newspapers forever but this is a completely new product and launch the type of which we haven't done before."

Choosing what material should be included in the iPad version was important. When the first News+ app was released, DN+, the cartoons weren't included which caused a stir for some readers. So Sydsvenskan's cartoons are there from the start.

"We'll be testing what content should be included in the iPad version," says Jonas Gillberg, iPad editor. "It will be a selection from the printed paper. And we have certain limits. We simply can't do everything with the resources we have."

Readers will be able to look at slide shows, graphics and web TV segments. Via an rss feed connected to Sydsvenskan.se they'll also be able to access the latest news. And on top of that, there will be a "Right Now" section consisting of the latest news chosen by editors.

"It's important to point out that this is a completely new product that can't be compared with either a printed newspaper or a web version," says Villani.