Lippincott - William & Wilkins has recently released (and had approved by Apple / iTunes), their iPad "App" for the
American Journal of Surgical Pathology (AJSP). This App is a huge step towards giving paper-like functionality to an electronic version of the journal. The full text articles are easy to read and can be shared via email or social media. Text size is adjustable with "pinch and zoom" finger movements. Supplemental material is easily accessible. You can store or delete downloaded issues. Browsing is easy with the "Quick View" format, including the ability to quickly scroll through abstract summaries of each article. Archived issues can be easily accessed, as can "publish ahead of print" articles. You are notified, if you wish, when new issues are available.
The App can be downloaded by searching "American Journal of Surgical Pathology" in the iTunes store.
Print may not be dead but it is no longer "king" or the driving force in publishing, and in fact it hasn't been for quite some time. Its role in the publishing world will undoubtedly continue to diminish, perhaps at a rate even faster than we currently imagine. (Trees of the world, rejoice!)
As good as this first generation of the App is, expect some really nice improvements in not too future updates. Additional functionality will include, among other niceties, the ability to highlight text and make annotations in the margins, just as you would do with a printed copy of the journal.
As a byproduct of the focus on the electronic version of the journal, trying to maintain a separate print version with some B&W images if the authors elect not to pay color charges, and a full color electronic version becomes too difficult to continue. Accordingly, effective January 2013 color charges are no long assessed for images in AJSP. (Authors of the world, rejoice!)