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iPad users ‘Plan to ditch print newspaper subscriptions’

iPad news apps appear to be accelerating a move away from newspaper print subscriptions, a survey of more than 1600 users of the tablet device suggests.

The study carried out by the Reynolds Journalism Institute and released over the weekend pointed to news consumption as the most popular use for the iPad. Just over 84% said following news and current events was one of their main uses.  

Encouragingly for Australian newspaper publishers such as News Ltd and Fairfax Media rushing to create apps, 71.8% of those who use their iPads to look at news said they would be very likely to do it with an app, while a further 21.2% said they were somewhat likely.

However, the survey reports: “More than half (58.1%) of the respondents who subscribe to printed newspapers and use their iPad at least an hour a day for news said they are very likely to cancel their print subscriptions within the next six months.”

Just over 10% said they had already cancelled their printed subscriptions.

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