Time magazine is publishing a free tablet-only special edition covering the Boston Marathon bombings, marking the first time the company has not charged for a tablet-only edition.

The move is a reflection of how tablets are being embraced to consume a variety of media, from enhancing TV viewing experiences to curling up the couch to catch up on the latest news. Time previously issued tablet-only editions twice before ? one on the morning after the 2012 Presidential Election and during the 2012 political conventions via daily iPad editions.

News goes digital
Time?s tablet-only edition on the Boston Marathon bombings will cover the ongoing investigation as well as the implications of the attack. It will include articles by Time?s writers, exclusive photos and interactive features.

The issue will be free and available on iPad, Android, Kindle and Nook.

Time also offers an iPad app with an enhanced, interactive version of the newsweekly.

In general, traditional publishers have been struggling as print readership declines and digital consumption increases. Not only are they seeing a decline in print subscriptions and newsstand sales as a result but also advertising revenue.

While it is clear that tablets are being used to consume content, including news, tablet-only publications have struggled to date.

News Corp. launched The Daily as an iPad publication in early 2011 only to shut it down at the end of 2012 after it failed to gain the kind of traction the publisher had hoped for.

The Daily suffered in part from the challenges associated with driving awareness and interest for a new brand.

The Daily also was challenged because it was a paid product and came out when it was still very early on in the development of the tablet market. As a result, the size of the targeted audience was still relatively small and many were used to using ereaders for consuming content.

Tablet adoption grows
As of November 2012, approximately 25 percent of Americans own a tablet, up from 10 percent in late 2011, according to Pew Research.

Pew published a report last year that showed 31 percent of tablet news users say they are getting news from new sources they did not use before, suggesting that mobile devices are adding to ? rather than replacing ? how much news people consume.

In contrast with The Daily, Time?s efforts with tablet-only publications are based on extending an existing well-respected news brand into the digital sphere to reach a wider audience and give existing loyal user another way to engage.

Time also has a history of publishing special editions around high-profile news events and by bringing this content to tablets, the publisher is able to reach readers where they increasingly are going to consume news content.

In a recent article for Mobile Marketer, Time Inc. chief research and insights officer Betsy Frank wrote about the unique characteristics of tablets for consuming content (see story).

Tablets have become integrated into users? home entertainment and information ecosystems and receive high marks for supplying extra information and ads that enhance the overall experience, Ms. Frank wrote. They are used overwhelmingly at home, during the most relaxing times of the day and in rooms associated with ?me time.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York