iPad Wired Magazine - what a bummer!

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Fotoman

I'm willing to cut them some slack for now... just not to the point of actually buying it...

It's painful watching print media trying to figure out this transition.

I'll say.

I agree, the mag producers are clearly still trying to find the best format and navigational methods for themselves. Understandable... after all, magazines developed many formats and navigational methods, and it took some time to settle into the few methods you currently see.

And I'm prepared to wait a bit longer until they come closer to settling into a practical, workable format. I can definitely wait out the proprietary systems like iPad apps... I'm holding out for browser-based HTML (HTML5, I suppose) and a sensible subscription model, with the ability to save the issues locally, and the hardware makers will have a hard time selling anything to me that doesn't do those things.

[scottjl]

you might be waiting a bit longer steve.. not like the internet is anything that new. publishers have had 15 years or so to get with it and they still haven't come up with a browser-based html sensible subscription model. the ipad has nothing to do with it..

[deltop]

Well my iPad is coming tomorrow (if I'm lucky) or Friday. But I went on a bit of a buying spree today which included Wired and a few other apps. There's no way I'd continue to buy it at that price. But I wanted to check out at least one issue.

I'd much prefer a standard format without drm where you could save each issue and read them on any platform. But I just can't see that happening any time soon, if at all. In fact for magazines it doesn't really bother me since it's incredibly unlikely that I'd ever need or want to re-read an issue. Although obviously I can see why it's problem for others. Books are another issue and if they aren't drm free or if I can't strip it I won't buy.

If the price comes down at least to the same level as a yearly paper sub I'd be interested.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by scottjl

you might be waiting a bit longer steve.. not like the internet is anything that new. publishers have had 15 years or so to get with it and they still haven't come up with a browser-based html sensible subscription model. the ipad has nothing to do with it..

I know... that's why I didn't plan to buy one. Once an HTML5-based format and subscription system is available, you'll be able to access it with any device with a browser, not just proprietary devices.

[kjk]

The main problem I see with the app approach is that I tend to send (and get sent) tons of links from interesting articles every day-this format pretty much precludes that completely.

[Tamara]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

But quite a bit higher per issue than being able to subscribe for $20 a year or whatever. And there are often deals for magazine subscriptions for $5-10 a year on Amazon and numerous other places.

Add in that if it's just the physical magazine in a non-reflowed PDF format etc. it will be like the Zinio app magazines and not display well on the iPad's 9.7" screen and require a lot of zooming and scrolling to read comfortably.

You've never been in an airport and bought a magazine off the rack?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by The Old Man

Just to add this - Using Calibre you can download the current Wired issue, convert to an ePub, load it into iBooks and read all 285 pages with pictures and links nicely formatted and it cost you nothing but 5 minutes of your time.
Thanks, again, Kovid!

I know when I do this with Scientific American and The Atlantic you only get partial articles or magazines. May be different with Wired.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

But quite a bit higher per issue than being able to subscribe for $20 a year or whatever. And there are often deals for magazine subscriptions for $5-10 a year on Amazon and numerous other places.

You can't get those prices you mention when only purchasing a single issue so they simply aren't relevant to the price of this app, these are single issues and are being priced at a similar level as it would cost somebody to buy a single issue of the paper edition.

Now obviously the lack of any subscription model for the digital edition is a clear omission that you would hope they will rectify as soon as possible, but until that point we won't know if they are going to price digital subscriptions competitively with the paper one.

[The Old Man]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I know when I do this with Scientific American and The Atlantic you only get partial articles or magazines. May be different with Wired.

I think it depends on the magazine and what they offer in the RSS feed.The New Yorker, for example, seems pretty complete.

[The Old Man]

PC Magazine's review of the Wired app.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/19730...ml?tk=rss_news

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Tamara

You've never been in an airport and bought a magazine off the rack?

Only once or twice. Just not worth the single issue cost IMO. I'd usually just buy a newspaper if I for some reason didn't bring a book, magazine, portable video game etc. to kill time on the plane.

Originally Posted by Crowl

You can't get those prices you mention when only purchasing a single issue so they simply aren't relevant to the price of this app, these are single issues and are being priced at a similar level as it would cost somebody to buy a single issue of the paper edition.

Now obviously the lack of any subscription model for the digital edition is a clear omission that you would hope they will rectify as soon as possible, but until that point we won't know if they are going to price digital subscriptions competitively with the paper one.

True. Lack of subscription is the biggest problem as I pretty much never buy a single issue of a magazine. Just too pricey for something I'll skim through once, read a couple articles and toss in the recycling. Subscriptions get the price down enough for it to be worthwhile for me.

The problem is magazines and newspapers have kind of killed their value themselves.

Between giving out very cheap (and often even free) subscriptions to get circulation numbers up to get more ad revenue, and many posting all their print content (plus more!) on their websites for free, it's hard to even think of spending $4-7 an issue which seem to be current newsstand prices.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Lack of subscription is the biggest problem as I pretty much never buy a single issue of a magazine.

I do both. Subscription and single-issue purchase should always be options.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I do both. Subscription and single-issue purchase should always be options.

Agreed, I didn't mean to imply otherwise.

Problem is currently there is no subscription option for iPad--and they've never really figured out subscriptions on the PC/Mac either in terms of quality and pricing etc. from what I've seen.

[kjk]

The Wired app is pretty interesting overall-it is neither a mere site-rip nor the magazine just PDF'ed...it has some interactive features, both content and ads, and seems well-suited to the iPad screen format/interface.

It is pretty interesting though how front and center the ads feel-in a paper magazine they tend to be ignorable, and on the web even more so...but they are "equal" in balance to the content on the iPad (probably more pronounced in a publication like Wired, though).

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by kjk

Well...except for that juicy 30% cut they have to give Apple for every issue sold.

I bought it (in the interest of research ) It is well done, but pretty gigantic (500M). Probably not something I'd get on a monthly basis unless, as Old Man notes, they gave out great subscriptions and free Tshirts and caps

Interesting note though: Adobe is posting about how they helped create the app:

http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalpublis...e_on_ipad.html

Is there a way to delete the magazines after you read them? The Zinio app probably supported it but I gave up trying to find out how. Like you say, magazines make huge files.