More magazine apps not necessarily better

Perhaps this is a cautionary tale for publishers who are keen on app delivery of their magazines' content to them new-fangled tablets. Research by GfK MRI of 3,000 adult tablet owners found that the more apps downloaded, the less likely they are to be used. 95% of consumers who downloaded fewer than 10 apps used them regularly; only 16% of users with 20 or more apps do so. 66% of the apps

Vancouver-based Zite magazine app may be bought by CNN

It is being reported by Techvibes that cable news giant CNN may buy Vancouver-based iPad tablet magazine Zite for up to $US25 million. Zite is an iPad app that, for now, is available for free from the App Store; it aggregates content (mostly news) based on users' personal preferences -- essentially a personalized web search engine. CNN has understandably relied heavily on video for its own iPad

How are the big US magazine publishers faring with their apps?

PaidContent.org has compiled a table of information about the magazine apps being developed by the big-4 magazine publishers Condé Nast, Hearst, Time Inc., Meredith. It details types of apps, with examples of each and some data on pricing.In its introduction, it says that publishers are putting a lot of faith in apps and said the compilation was an attempt to show what they've got for their

Long form comes to digital; Atavist offers pay per view articles up to 30,000 words

A new company called The Atavist is offering long journalistic stories on the Kindle and Nook and in an iPad app. The company doesn't yet offer a subscription model, but has hopes to do so soon, including allowing readers to buy a bundle of articles. According to a story in Folio: the stories are being sold for US$1.99 each on e-readers like the Kindle and $2.99 in the app, which offers

Tablets change the way people read and perceive magazines, research shows

According to research conducted by Bonnier Publishing anad CP+B Group, an advertising agency, it is no longer just rival publications that will lure away a magazine's readers but publishers must now consider that they are competing for attention with apps and tablet features. This, from a story on Audience Development. It also found that on a tablet, readers sometimes can't distinguish between

Are magazine apps being met with a yawn by advertisers?

Magazines that have invested heavily in online apps are finding that the payoff is smaller than their investment now and may continue to be for years to come.Those publishers who have taken the plunge and hired staff and put money into upfront and development costs are finding that their investments are being met at worst with a yawn by advertisers and at best lukewarm ad interest, according to a

Prudery or prudence? Apple's app store rejects Esquire's sexy cover

One of the (alarming?) drawbacks of magazines selling their electronic versions through Apple's app store is that Apple calls the shots and editors and publishers are left to play the game "Guess what we're thinking?" And, yes, it almost always seems to be about sex.
That seems to be the case with the November issue of Esquire, which features a cover image of Minka Kelly, described as the "

Next Issue Media to Apple: "We're going with Android for now" (hint, hint)

The tight grip that Apple has on data about magazine customers served through its app store has been a constant irritant to publishers who want to sell digital subscriptions and control subscriber data. Apple's rules mean publishers can't even sell direct subscriptions to their readers if they sign onto the App Store. A shot has just been aimed across Apple's bow with the announcement that Next

Replica mags not the only way to go, publishers find; device-appropriate applications the thing

Publishers are developing app strategies that better suit both the nature of their audiences and the devices on which the apps are being delivered. As a result many are determining that the "flip book" or "replica" magazines may not be the way of the future. According to a story published by eMedia Vitals, while everyone is very low on the curve at the moment, they are starting to sort out what

Tablet market may be growing, but it's "nascent", says Nielsen study

Survey results released by The Nielsen Company is a sharp reminder of how small the tablet market is right now, though holding out some promise. A story published by Folio: says the study was an attempt to review how people are using their mobile devices such as smartphones, e-readers, iPads and the like. The survey found, when it polled 5,000 device owners, that only 4 per cent owned tablet

Today's Parent magazine enables readers to do mobile shopping for children's gifts

Today's Parent magazine has launched a free mobile application called the Gift Finder that allows smartphone-equipped readers to find gifts for children. The app is sponsored by the toy store chain Toys"R"Us, and when users dowload the app on their iPhone, iTouch or iPad, they get a coupon code for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more at Toys"R"Us stores. The majority of the toys in the Gift Finder

iPad app for the New Yorker introduced in an, um, unusual way

Just catching up with Jason Schwartzman's promotional tour of the New Yorker's iPad app. I didn't know the iPad was waterproof.

A better look at the tablet-enabled Sports Illustrated

Last week, we published a "sneak peek" at the new tablet-enabled Sports Illustrated, captured on somebody's cell phone.Well, here from SI itself, are some screenshots of what a tablet-iPod-whatever-enabled magazine might look like.And a video of the screen in action.

A sneak peek at a tablet-enabled Sports Illustrated

In the race to come up with a digital magazine for the much-heralded and forthcoming tablet computers, it appears that Time Inc. is the first out of the gate. The site TechCrunch reports on a sneak peek it had of the application that is for Sports Illustrated. (Condé Nast is apparently working on something similar.) The writer Eric Schonfeld saysThe concept was designed by David Link at the

GQ iPhone app digital replica will count towards paid circulation

I have to say that I'm not that fond of reading a magazine on a tiny iPhone-type screen; but clearly I am in the minority (and a good thing for magazine publishers). According to a story in Media in Canada, Condé Nast has announced the launch of its i-Phone app that will -- starting in mid-November --  provide a replica of GQ magazine. It is inevitably a sign that, soon, you'll be able to get the