Here it is — The Daily. Media giant News Corp, led by Rupert Murdoch, this week launched a new tablet newspaper with the help of Steve Jobs and Apple.

Things we know:

- It is simply called “The Daily” and is US-focused
- It is based on a subscription model of $0.99 per week or $39.99 per year
- There is no print or web edition, just an iPad app
- The iPad is killing all other tablets and e-readers currently (as seen here)

Murdoch has contended, from the beginning, that news doesn’t always have to be free and that people will pay for digital high-quality, original content. And I would have to agree. As an amateur blogger, I know that NO ONE would pay for the content I generate because I don’t know a lick about journalism or how to present the news. I go on my instinct and I just sort of shoot from the hip.

So like most people, I look at my trusted sources, both in print and online. It’s the fundamental idea that someone who has spent time with an idea, nurtured it, lived with it, and most importantly, vetted it, has more authority over some pimple-faced kid in his mom’s basement, complaining about how the iPad doesn’t have a USB port. Obviously, I’m operating on two extremes here, but it’s merely to illustrate a point. There are always exceptions to the rule, of course, but across all forms of media, the adage of “you get what you pay for” is still the golden standard.

It’s too early to tell if The Daily is going to sink or swim, but early reviews are either hot or cold. When you sift through a lot of the negative comments though, it’s plain to see that plenty of people aren’t fans of the newspaper because they dislike Rupert Murdoch himself, not necessarily the app. I’m not a fan of Murdoch either, but I do have to give him credit for trying to standardize the next wave of how news is delivered.

Here’s a neat video that MacWorld produced, where they demo the new app:

Someday, when an iPad magically appears in my grubby little hands, I’m looking forward to purchasing a subscription to The Daily to see how it all works. Until then, I’ll have to remain an untapped subscriber who reads the printed version of the Metro on the train every morning…

-B