Content For iPad Makes New StridesBy John GaffneyContent created specifically for the iPad benefited from a few major announcements this week. Zinio announced an innovative new package from its partnership with Rolling Stone magazine, and Sideways announced what could be the first actual readership study from an iPad specific content property.

The Zinio announcement represented a new level of interactivity and promise for interactive content. On Tuesday it introduced an interactive release of Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time on its cross-device Unity platform. Using the Zinio App for the iPad the magazine’s digital version allows the reader to sample and purchase music with a swipe of a finger. The interactive edition will be available on other platforms as well, including Windows, Mac and Linux PCs. So people can read about the recording sessions for “Like A Rolling Stone,” sample it, and then buy it on iTunes.Meanwhile, Sideways has put its stake in the ground as an iPod publisher. It was confident enough in its first issue, published in July to release some data about readership. It shows a surprisingly high engagement rate, and a decidedly male readership skew. Sideways magazine did not release the total page views or app downloads, but it did show that 234 readers clicked on its readership survey and 93% completed it. Most publishers would be happy with 10 percent. It found 80.8% of responders are male; 50.2% hold an advanced degree; average age is 47, and 24% of those who purchased the initial app for the magazine updated it.“Obviously this is a very early adopter profile and it will change,” said co-founder Eliza Wing. “But its very encouraging that our early adopters are so willing to give information about themselves. One of the issues we have to deal with, and all publishers have to deal with, is measuring apps. How do wee know what happens after they’re downloaded? This can help inform our story choices and increase our relationships with the reader.” The August issue of Sideways will offer a free update. Wing says the company is working on other interactive projects similar to the Rolling Stone issue that will be announced soon.