Creation and collaboration: iPad’s next phase for content

Since its launch, newsmedia companies have focused on the iPad as an important platform to push their content out on; however, a growing number of outlets are focusing on the tablet as a tool for creation as well.


Out today, the latest app from Martha Stewart, called CraftStudio, helps users make “paper” crafts, complete with digital glitter. The app is free until July 8, when it will cost US$4.99, GigaOm reported.


Things users create, such as cards, are made for sharing. CraftStudio has partnered with HP’s Snapfish, so cards can be shared on social media, saved to the device, or printed with AirPrint. The app also aims to upsell added features, such as themes for each project, which come with extra stickers, stamps, paper glitter or customized page edges and corner punches, for $1.99, according to GigaOm.


Creativity tools for the iPad aren’t exactly new, but Stewart’s new app is like a stamp of approval for the tablet as a “legitimate avenue of creativity.” These tools are also successful at engaging users.


Meanwhile, the iPad as a tool for group collaboration is also gaining momentum this week. Startup CloudOn has closed a $16 million round of funding, which it will use to develop new collaboration tools and integrate productivity platforms from big digital players like Microsoft and Apple, in addition to Adobe, Dropbox and Google, which it already integrates, Slash Gear reported today.


CloudOn’s future is tied to “redefining productivity,” CEO Milind Gadekar said. Interacting with information in files – not just simply accessing them – is top priority.


“Multiple people will be able to access the same document, share information, and track conversations around that information. Gadekar also sees this functionality to be cross-platform, where users can choose to work with their favorite services, instead of being locked into one ecosystem,” Slash Gear explained.


Image: iTunes