The jump to a completely digital media industry could be one step closer after News Corp. unveiled the world’s first tablet-only newspaper last Wednesday. Rupert Murdoch’s latest publication, called The Daily, is a general interest newspaper that will initially be available only on the iPad. It will cost 99 cents a week or $39.99 a year.

Lawrence Soley, a professor in the College of Communication, said The Daily presents an opportunity to rethink digital media design. The new publication will include 360-degree photos, audio and video.

As for the other newspapers that exist online, most are exact replicas of their hard-copy print editions, Soley said.

“As a result of that, it makes them somewhat difficult to read,” he said.

Essentially, Soley said, online newspapers are following the design procedures of their decades-old print counterparts. But, he said, those rules no longer fit what the public is looking for.

“There’s a feeling that there’s going to be a major change in the industry, and people are gritting for that,” he said.

Carole Burns, director of the Wakerly Technology Training Center in the College of Communication, said in an e-mail that using digital content can help tell some stories better, but digital publications still must include text.

“Digital stories evolve in many formats,” Burns said. “What cannot be described in words can more fully be told with the help of video or still photography.”

But Soley said the publication’s platform could limit its readership.

“One disadvantage is that it has limitations in terms of the audience,” Soley said. “It takes a lot of time to build an audience now. I’m not sure that anyone else really has the bucks to do that, with the exception of a few major competitors.”

Burns agreed, but said The Daily is a chance worth taking.

“It is a bit of a gamble,” Burns said.

While many people have smart phones and mobile devices, the tablet is not yet that popular, Burns said.

“I do feel as the capabilities of tablet and netbook computers and the lower cost compared to laptops will help to drive readership.”

Ryan Nealon, a freshman in the College of Health Sciences who owns an iPad, said he would consider subscribing to the new publication.

“It sounds like something that would be consistently helpful,” Nealon said. “With the tablet newspaper it would be right there; you could find different sections without having to search the newspaper website for it.”

Soley said a tablet newspaper could also have practical upsides.

“I can get the same content electronically, and not have to deal with a huge stack of papers that I have to walk out and recycle,” he said. “There’s a certain feeling that I get about contributing to the future of society by subscribing electronically.”

Burns said that digital publications like The Daily could solidify the future of journalism.

“What The Daily is doing is a step in the right direction,” she said. “Journalism is a profession we can’t lose to the digital age, and The Daily is a way to assure that the publication industry remains competitive, yet profitable.”