Digital publishing trailblazers benefit from adapting to new tablet formats

The release of a slew of new tablets is transforming the magazine publishing industry, according to a recent Mashable report.

Citing work from Sports Illustrated, which is one of the few magazines that has diversified its digital publishing platform for several different tablets, the report detailed the financial impact of the technology on the magazine industry.

The trend to favor tablets first emerged when Apple's iPad surfaced last year. However, the common mistake that many publishers have made since then is limiting their content to just that platform. Sports Illustrated Group editor Terry McDonald told Mashable newer tablets will soon account for a significant portion of the digital publishing market.

"We're placing bets across the table, because we don’t know where we’re going to be in 18 months. But [other tablet platforms] are going to grow," he said.

This adherence to a broad range of tablet formats will help make 2011 the second consecutive year of double-digit growth for SI's digital revenue, according to Mashable.

Other publishers would be wise to follow in SI's footsteps, as market research firm Gartner predicts tablets based on Google's Android tablet operating system will grow 24.4 percent by 2015, while Apple will lose 36.8 percent market share.