Week+2

=Wired Woos iPad Readers With Exclusive Videos=



Once [|Wired magazine] was introduced to the digital world through it's application on the iPad, they quickly realized their beautifully designed pages would not be enticing enough for the readers to purchase the amount of their $5 issues they needed to sell. With most of the issue's content being free to access online at Wired.com, creative director, Scott Dadich, and photographer, Dan Winters, came up with the idea to offer comedic short films that would be made exclusively for those with the iPad application. The idea was conducted during a photo shoot with Brad Pitt which used single frame film and the first set of short films were created shortly after starring WIll Ferrell to provide the magazine content in a more entertaining way. Wired's editor in chief, Chris Anderson, believed that portraying the magazine's content by using short films would "offer a more engaging experience that readers will actually pay for." They hope that one day they will also be able to offer these exclusive application videos through smartphones and other tablets. I believe this is a step in the right direction for print magazines. There is no way to offer a video clip in a print magazine and by using big names like Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt in the videos, readers are much more likely to buy the digital version for a little bit more money in order to view the exclusive videos.

Updated by: Kala Whyte Date: 2.17.11

Due: February 17, 2011

iPad Service Draws Scrutiny The recent announcement of subscription services for iPad and iPhone applications has not only drawn complaints from publishers, but has also drawn attention of the federal antitrust regulators. The subscription mechanism requires companies to offer consumers the option of buying magazines through its payment method, giving Apple a 30% cut. Many publishers have complained that giving Apple 30% of revenue would not be “economically feasible”. Though the regulators’ interest is preliminary and might not develop into a formal investigation, Apple has also been under scrutiny from the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission. Though Apple seems to be the leader in creating a new technological platform for magazines (specifically for the iPad), it is clear that they are going to face a battle with publishers before this new technology can become successful. More info: [|Here]

Updated by: Victoria Benov 2.17.2011

A Race Between Digital and Print Magazines

The NY Times article, //A Race Between Digital and Print Magazines,// addresses the time-consuming process of downloading online magazines as one of the new technology's greatest downfalls. Purchasing the print version of a magazine from a local grocery store or magazine store is still much quicker than waiting for an online version of a magazine to download. This downfall of online magazines is very similar to the “early days of the Net [when] people had to wait 15 minutes for a single image to download.” Wired magazine, for example, can take up to about 40 minutes to download using a basic DSL connection, mainly because it includes many intricate videos and images that are integrated into the magazine to enhance the reader’s experience. Therefore, dedicated magazine readers might resort back to the print version because they do not want to deal with this long downloading process. This article is important because it addresses a major issue with online magazines, and the issue is the time-consuming process of downloading online magazines. Today our world is greatly focused on rapidly accessing new information, therefore the magazine industry cannot afford to let this technological drawback continue. Furthermore, I agree that magazine “plans need to be scaled back by publishers” because readers are not going to be able to view the online version’s new intricate videos and images if they cannot even download the magazine in a reasonable amount of time.

Update by: Alena Good Date: 2.17.2011

**Apple says magazines can now sell iPad subscriptions **

// February 15,2011 // - Apple has announced that it will begin to sell magazine and newspaper subscriptions for the iPad. However, there are some heavy stipulations that follow. Apple will take 30% of the revenue generated, as they do for all of their third party installments. They will allow publishers to use their own platforms, and set their own prices, but only if they play by the Apple rules. If a publisher wishes to use their own platform, they must also offer the same subscription in the app store for an equal or lesser price. Another major drawback is that publisher’s apps cannot include links that allow customers to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the app, limiting advertising capabilities. This is beginning to give us a glimpse into the future of the magazine business. But limitations made by Apple could be a major drawback and give competitors a leading edge.

To read more click [|here].

Update by: Jeff Lewis Date: 2.15.2011

**Yahoo to Launch Livestand, a Flipboard-style digital magazine **

The article I found this week from digitaltrends.com, is, in a way, a continuation of the article I found last week from techcrunch. In the techcrunch article, it spoke about the desire to build magazines for tablets from the ground up to ensure user friendly experiences that utilize the abilities of the tablet more fully. As brought up in that article, the author spoke about how few of these companies are successfully making these magazines on the tablet platform. In the digitaltrends.com article, it spoke of the news that Yahoo! is jumping on movement to build these magazines from the ground of for the tablets. In an attempt to take a chunk out of the flipboards numbers. The magazine from Yahoo! will be "graphic heavy, react to your interests, and feature a 'wealth' of content from Yahoo properties and independent publishers." (The graphic idea is what the magazine is thought to look like) It went on to say that it will be personalized based on interests and what is going on around the user. While I do not think this magazine is using the potential of the digital magazine to its fullest, I do see it as an attempt, and as more companies move in this direction, we will see the content catch up to the technology. Lets just hope it is sooner rather than later.

Update by: Jonathan Warner Date: 2.16.2011

**New 'Interactive' Print Ads Fight For Your Attention [|article] **

New 'interactive' print ads fight for their readers' attention. The recent technological advances with web and mobile magazine outlets have forced traditional printed magazines to do what they can to continue business. The new releases of interactive print ads have become popular among readers. As technology for song-producing audio chips and light-powering batteries gets smaller it has become easier for advertisiers to add free and fun items into their advertising. Objects added in these magazines have given consumers interactive items to "play" with, such as temporary tattoos, plant seeds, and even a nearly 3-foot-long replica of an Ultimate Fighting Championship belt. This new type of advertising works and continues to catch the audiences' attention. The new tactics of sniff and listen, fold-out props, pull-out booklets, seeding the market, good tastes, and so on are proven to maintain the interaction and business from their audiences. This type of face-to-face interaction for readers is not possible for the mobile or web magazine devices. Traditional magazines will continue to develop and improve their issues as our society becomes more and more technologically advanced.

Update by: Brittany Larochelle Date: 2.16.11

=Porn on the iPad? =



Playboy Magazine will be launching in digital form on the iPad in March of this year. Although, Apple has said that it does not, and will not support pornographic content featured in its App Store. A little confusing? Well, there’s a loophole for Playboy. Since Apple doesn’t want pornographic material available through its App Store, Playboy will be censored and not contain nudity and there will be a, “web-based subscription service with Bondi Digital Publishing that will give users access to every issue of Playboy both past and present [on the iPad]”, a spokeswoman for Hugh Hefner said. The topic of porn being available on devices such as the iPad is an interesting and controversial one, and I think will come up more as digital magazines become more the norm and gain popularity. This is a relevant topic for this class because it touches on many issues involving technology. Soon will all magazines including ones with sensitive material soon be available in electronic form? Will this mean that pornographic or offensive material will become more readily available to youth? Maybe. Maybe not. How will viewing this kind of content be regulated? We’ll see when electronic magazines take over print magazines in the future. More info: [|here]

Update by: Katie Fisher Date: 2.17.11