[cookiecaper]

>Like when your client demands it and you give in?

Someone in this thread gave a great example: their company makes "photobooks" and this effect is used in the preview before you order to make it feel more "real". I think that's a legitimate use.

Obviously, magazines that just plaster pieces of the PDF on and then demand the page flip are not usable or accessible, but there are other uses for something like this.

[ricardobeat]

Of course, using a paper simulator to showcase printed material makes complete sense :)

My comment was related to the (common) case where someone thinks this is the best way to adapt printed content to the web, and that people actually want virtual magazines instead of something suited to screen reading/interaction. Fortunately that appears to be a dying mindset.

[rhizome]

There are still a lot of print-trained editors and other publishing roles out there. The more the UX metaphor relates to past models the more secure they are in their positions. I simply think this, along with a smidgen of gewgaw for the animation, is the simplest explanation. It's easier for a pageflip model to be approved by oldschoolers.