In the news: A new infographic from OnlineClasses.org presents some surprising statistics about tablets.

Recently, OnlineClasses.org, a website devoted to online education programs, published an infographic that serves up some important statistics about tablet penetration. Among them: Tablets have been adopted more quickly and by a larger percentage of the population than electricity, telephones, personal computers, and the Internet itself. Perhaps more significant, tablets are projected to outsell PCs within the next four years.

The single most important piece of information for publishers, however, is the claim that tablet users read more and shop more. Tablets are no doubt experiencing meteoric growth; however, they still represent a niche computing market. So weigh the numbers carefully when devising your tablet publishing strategy. See OnlineClasses.org's infographic here.

Also Notable

Changing Journalism Curricula

The program at Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism is changing rapidly with the times. The school recently pared its degree offerings down to two programs: news and information reporting and strategic communications. Associate professor Ellen Gerl discusses the changing magazine industry, including the multimedia responsibilities of today's journalist. Read more of her industry analysis here.

Digital Magazine Hiring

This month, Folio.com blogger Bob Cohn discusses the ins and outs of hiring in the digital publishing age. "This transition from vertical job descriptions to horizontal job descriptions is perhaps the most profound change in newsrooms that are full of change," he says. With so many digitally oriented magazine and newspaper jobs, today's journalist must adopt a broader range of skills than the traditional print journalist. Is this an unrealistic expectation for recent college graduates? Read more here.

Walmart Ditches the Kindle

Walmart's decision last week to stop carrying the Kindle should give publishers pause as they assess current tablet penetration numbers and devise their tablet publishing strategies. The retailer has distanced itself from Amazon, which it considers to be a major competitor. Walmart is not the first big box retailer to ditch the Kindle; Target has also stopped selling the e-reading tablet. Read more about the reasoning behind Walmart's decision here.

Magazine Periodical Publishing Report

IBISWorld has released Magazine & Periodical Publishing in the US: Market Research Report. The industry report reveals that, while magazines will see a slight revenue decline in 2012 (1.5 percent), industry conditions will begin to improve over the next five years. Read a summary of the report's findings here.

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