The Times points way with new infographics for the iPad
This is pretty cool, Applied Works is producing a number of interactive infographics for The Times’ recently-launched iPad app. It is another pointer to how some of the really great stuff we are going to see digitally away from the web.
They have four that they have a demo up and running in case you are not with iPad (see video below) including ‘The Wall of Debt’, which was designed to accompany coverage of George Osbourne’s emergency budget and illustrated the scale of the UK’s national debt, deficit and budget cuts over a 15 year period up to 2015.
There’s also a ‘Health of England’ graphic highlighting the north/south health divide and Battle of Britain slideshow to document 70th anniversary of one of the defining moments of the Second World War.
It is content like this that makes the case for the death of the open web debate that was getting a lot of attention last week.
This is tip of the iceberg showing what publishers are going to be able to achieve.
Other timelines on offer will include shoe designer Manolo Blahnik’s career to coincide with the launch of ‘Sex and The City 2′ and an interactive map of Westminster parliament buildings and newly-elected MPs.
The Times: iPad infographics by Applied Works from Applied Works on Vimeo.
All Comments
Now I’m no web developer, but shouldn’t the rise of html5 etc. enable touchscreen interactive graphic content such as this within a web based interface?
Why does content have to sit within a walled garden, surely it is better if linked to other content that gives it to be the potential to be updated and improved over time, not to mention shared and commented on?
Exactly what I was thinking, Gareth. I think as soon as publishers figure out their paid apps are unpopular, they’ll start developing this stuff for their public websites. Or maybe they won’t, and new Web-only publications will do it in their place. Either way, opening a separate app to get well-presented content won’t be the way we do things in a year or two.
Hi Gareth,
These info graphics were created using HTML, CSS, Javascript and SVG, and displayed in-app via a UIWebView so they’re all what you could call HTML5. They even work in Safari and Chrome too.
Although, the web isn’t totally where it needs to be for these things to written once and deployed across all browsers. The support for a lot of critical features (tons of CSS3) just isn’t there yet.
As to why these things live in a walled garden… well, they’re put there to add value to the iPad app content. It’s premium content. It’s just business I guess.
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