As widely telegraphed, Richard Branson has today launched Virgin Digital Publishing’s Pad-only magazine, Project. The app is free to download from iTunes, with each issue costing $2.99 to download. For your $2.99/£1.79 you’ll also get frequently updated content rather than a static magazine. Considering the cost of a glossy magazine these days, that’s a pretty good deal! The first issue has an interesting mixture of content, ranging from travel, with a 3D-video tour of Tokyo, a feature about a superchef who serves soil, and an electrified cover feature on Jeff Bridges, star of the forthcoming Tron: Legacy movie.
Although there are lots of favourable comments about Project in the app store, AppleInsider says that there have been some complaints too, primarily that Project’s touch-based interface is too complicated, especially as it comes with its own list of operating instructions!
As AppleInsider also reports, iPad magazine publishing is very much a hot-button issue for Apple at the moment, as it’s rumoured to be holding a media event on December 9 with a group of print executives, which many are saying could herald the introduction of a new subscription billing service for newspapers and magazines on the iPad. Also rumoured is the release of iOS 4.3 in December, including recurring application subscriptions.
You can download Project from the App Store by clicking here: Project for iPad on the iTunes App Store
Source: AppleInsider | Richard Branson's 'Project' debuts on iPad, Infinity Blade coming Dec. 9
