Major publishers like Conde Nast have already moved their titles including Vogue, Wired and Glamour, onto the iPad, but not everyone thinks that the future for both news publications and periodicals looks more efficient and electronic.

CNN: 'The Daily' and iPad: A revolution in reading?

The main area where they have acted jointly is in setting up the California Digital Library, which drives hard bargains with the publishers of periodicals to license the use of their electronic versions.

ECONOMIST: Lessons of a virtual timetable