The future of the magazine, courtesy of the iPad

This post originally appeared on SmartPlanet

Thanks to the new Apple iPad and other tablet devices, the future of the magazine is exciting, indeed.

Popular Science has announced Popular Science+, the first title to emerge from the Bonnier Corp. Mag+ initiative that takes a magazine and turns it digital.

“It’s not re-creating the magazine; it’s re-creating the magazine experience,” the publisher says.

According to the company, the iPad has given it a chance to imagine the magazine as an interactive platform, across six pillars:

• “Quiet,” simple interaction, unlike the distracting Web.
• Fluid motion that uses “flow” to replace the “flip” of a page.
• Carefully curated layout and design
• Defined beginnings and ends. “It’s the end of endlessness,” Bonnier says.
• Issue-based delivery — like a podcast, unlike a blog.
• Advertising as content, rather than “shoot the monkey” display ads

Basically, it’s the next logical step beyond reading a PDF of your favorite glossy.

Bonnier partnered with London-based design firm BERGfor the initiative.

Here’s a look in a video from Dec. 2009:

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.