The Virginian-Pilot announced today the availability of an application for the popular iPad.
Subscribers to The Pilot can get the newspaper on iPad for an extra $3 a month on the days covered by their subscriptions. They can see two versions: one that looks like the print version of the newspaper and another without ads.
People who don’t subscribe to the newspaper’s print version but want to read The Pilot on an iPad must sign up for an online ePilot subscription at $5 per month and then pay the $3 monthly iPad fee, Rodier said.
I’m going to rush right out and buy an iPad so I can read the paper on it – NOT 🙂 Have to say I’m still old-school: I like reading the paper newspaper and will only resort to the online version when it’s an absolute necessity (i.e., my paper didn’t get delivered).
But for those who already have an iPad, this might be tempting. Does anyone know how this pricing compares to other newspapers available on the iPad?
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I have to admit that I am excited about this, I will buy an IPad, and I will pay the $3 a month subscription. I too am old school. Although I use Pilotonline for breaking news at work, I think it is very important to read the actual newspaper each morning because the hard copy puts stories in an editorial context that provides us with a shared sense of community. Layout design tells the readers which stories the editors find important, and thus, the stories that will be discussed at the water cooler (i.e, front page, above the fold, 3 columns, accompanying picture, etc.) I cannot pick up this context from Pilotonline. (I also like to se the inset pictures of you columnists)!
Additionally, I am an early morning riser and often beat the newscarrier. I want to read the paper first thing, as soon as I can open my eyes. Sometimes I am so groggy when I retrive the paper that I stumble down the stairs. With the IPad, I will not have to venture down the steps and into the cold to retrieve the paper, but will just have to reach over to my nightstand. I also will not have to risk running into my neighbors in my bathrobe. If this works, I will go green and stop taking the hard copy all together. I am very excited indeed.
Yes, I don’t know if I could read the news without the Pilot telling me which stories are important.
In fact, I’m thinking of letting them vote for me at election time.