paidContent founder: Touchscreens are the future of media

Now that News Corp.'s forthcoming tablet-based "newspaper" is in the spotlight, it seems like a good time to start considering whether the masses will soon start consuming their news and media primarily on devices like the iPad.

One person who shares News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch's optimism in that department is Rafat Ali, founder of the online digital news digest paidContent, which he left in May.

In an interview with the Yahoo-partnered website Appolicious, Ali had this to say:

As the deluge of media and information has become overwhelming and we are in a state of persistent media stimuli, the tactile nature of touchscreens allow us, for the first time in the digital age, to "get a handle" on this flow. ... Also, despite the somewhat shiny-object nature of the apps revolution, what it has shown us is that people are yearning for simpler, faster, more utilitarian and more contained experiences. Touch is the underpinning that enables that thinking. ... It is also a matter of time before these devices become a lot cheaper, and mainstream across all societies worldwide. Hence my belief.

You can read the full interview over at Appolicious.