Reading magazines on your tablet is one thing the digital age has brought us, but now print has found a way to win us back, and TIME is moving into the future. In TIME’s latest issue, you can use a smartphone app to turn the pages into an augmented reality (AR) feast for the eyes.
It’s a world away from the paper pages we know today, and an interesting way to make print relevant again, in a world where most people read news and articles on their smartphones.
Interestingly, the issue is guest edited by none other than Bill Gates, of Microsoft fame. Gates narrates a cover feature telling readers about an Ethiopian boy, Mohamad Nasir, whom Gates met in 2012. It’s a celebratory story about the reduction in child mortality rates in Ethiopia and throughout the world.
Gates says; “Child mortality is a a good measure for overall well-being; it’s also a leading indicator of progress. What is more fundamental than keeping children alive so they can thrive and build the future?”
The AR features of the magazine are powered by RYOT Lab, whom we’ve seen previously taking their virtual reality (VR) shorts to Sundance, and have also released a comprehensive app for Windows Mixed Reality.
Not content to stop there, the next issue of TIME on January 15th will sport yet more AR features, with an infographic created by Bono. Yes, the U2 Bono. He’s quite rightly highlighting the gender gap in education, and is inspired by drawings created by Bono himself.
Bono hopes to give us a look into a world where men and women truly have equal education, and understand the struggles we currently face in that area. Learn more with the video below.
It’s fascinating that TIME are moving into AR compatibility, though the question is whether this is a passing fancy to celebrate the new year, or if this is a way for them to revolutionise print magazines again and make them relevant in a new age.
For all of the latest in AR and VR, and whether we’ll see more of that in print magazine, keep reading VRFocus.