05-26-2010, 09:53 AM | #1 |
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Wired Magazine - what a bummer!
Wired magazine is releasing an iPad app at $4.99 PER ISSUE!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100526/...tec_wired_ipad Not only that, they admit in the article that they, "will be experimenting with prices as (they) continues to tweak the application once readers get their hands on it." This is the same policy that Popular Science and Time Magazine are following, Five bucks an issue. What a rip-off. I hope NOBODY buys these individual magazine apps. Zinio offers the best deal on magazine subscriptions and a pretty nice app to view them. Go to the Wired web site and you can get a subscription for 83 cents an issue plus a free baseball cap. But if you own an iPad you can pay 5 dollars an issue and partake in their experiment. |
05-26-2010, 10:02 AM | #2 |
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I noticed these high "per issue" prices and wondered who was being fooled by them.
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05-26-2010, 10:13 AM | #3 |
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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! |
05-26-2010, 10:18 AM | #4 |
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I also will not buy the wired app. Instead bought bunch of Zinio subscriptions. Just wished zinio could show their sales number since the ipad launch.
Where can you download the wired issue? |
05-26-2010, 10:23 AM | #5 |
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It doesn't seem any different than the pricing if you were to grab it off a magazine rack at the airport or mall.
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05-26-2010, 10:32 AM | #6 |
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05-26-2010, 10:43 AM | #7 |
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Download the issue using the free program Calibre.
The "Fetch News" icon, then "English" with the 234 options listed alphabetically. |
05-26-2010, 11:09 AM | #8 |
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I subscribe to Wired in print. Not planning to consider online versions till my nieces and nephews outgrow school-age fundraising sales of magazines, gift wrap, cookies and such. By then, I hope, Wired will have worked out its digital pricing, lol.
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05-26-2010, 01:09 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
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 |
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05-26-2010, 01:26 PM | #10 | |
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Quote:
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. |
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05-26-2010, 01:40 PM | #11 | |
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Quote:
edit: Ok, on closer observation, there are a variety of little graphic "cues" to indicate scroll down vs. across. |
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05-26-2010, 01:45 PM | #12 |
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Good to hear. I was very annoyed with the Zinio app that all the samples were just the actual magazine pages which obviously didn't fit the small screen.
They just need to offer a subscription for the same or less than the print subscription price they offer. Just like e-books, I'd never pay more for a digital magazine than I could for the print version. If any thing they should be less since they don't have to print and mail them. |
05-26-2010, 02:54 PM | #13 |
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Any idea if they're planning on localised editions of the iPad edition? I pick up the US print edition here in the UK a couple of times a year, last time I think I paid £4.50 (~$6.50) for it <shrug>. Do they offer subscriptions to the iPad edition?
Pete |
05-26-2010, 03:12 PM | #14 |
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You know, this is really such a missed opportunity-not just for magazines and books, but TV and movies as well. I know a lot of people outside the US would love, and be willing to pay, for content they otherwise would have to import in, or were unable to get access to otherwise...and vice-versa. Digital has such potential to break down distribution walls and limitations.
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05-26-2010, 03:31 PM | #15 |
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I'm willing to cut them some slack for now... just not to the point of actually buying it.
It's early days for the iPad still and a lot of publishers are scrambling to come up with "enhanced" editions, appropriate pricing, etc. It's dissapointing that Wired is trying to match their printed price but eventually, the market will determine this. They'll have to figure out if it's advantageous for them to go for high volume with something like a 99¢ price and potentially attract new readers who may just also visit their website increasing revenues through more traffic there...this seems like the way they should go to me but what the heck do I know? It's painful watching print media trying to figure out this transition. |
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