Wired magazine's iPad edition - anyone else tried it?

[epb]

I'm curious what others thought of the Wired iPad edition. I think it's an excellent indication of where magazines can go digitally, with more info available by touching hotpoints in the article, video, sound, and it has the best navigation I've seen in any mag. I'd love for my favorite mags (Car, Evo, and Octane) to adopt this and include the videos from their websites alongisde the text.

However, I agree with the criticism Wired has taken over the price. At $6.99, you're paying more than the paper edition, and even if the digital version is more expensive to produce than paper (which I doubt), that cost should be absorbed by the advertisers, who are getting a lot more bang for their buck (video, sound, hotpoint graphics).

The price is moot as far as I'm concerned. I was never a Wired reader and what I saw as far as content didn't change that. I was just curious about the execution of the concept.

 

[write-stuff]

Yeah, the pricing is my complaint. I like Wired, but I'm sure as heck not going to pay more for a digital edition. There's too much content on the web as it is and I have to really pick and choose what I spend my time on. It won't be spent on something that is dramatically overpriced like Wired's digital version.

I wonder if it has ads in it? Man, that would really tick me off!

 

[GiPad]

These guys are insane. WHY would I pay $5-$7 for a digital magazine? For one thing...there is TONS of free content out there. I dont care how pretty you make it, they are going face down at that price (I thought it was $5...but doesnt really matter). If I loved the magazine...which Wired is not my favorite...I'l be willing at MOST to pay between $1 and $2 for content I absolutely love. There are no printing or distribution costs. For some reason these magazine publishers just think that people will pay anything just because its on the iPad, and that is their new catalyst. While the iPad is an incredible platorm, and I am genuinely excited about magazines....I will not be raped. Even Zinio who I liked in the past has lost their mind...and I'm out with them. Its very simple - make the prices fair: about $1 (majority of the mainstream mags) to $2 (premium content) and your base of people buying it will exceed net of overcharging to fewer people. Plus...if you are touching more subscribers who think they are getting a fairdeal on the magazine, the advertising effectiveness rate skyrockets. $5 for a digital magazine...you're f*cking kidding me. This is the kind of shit that drives people to places like Pirate Bay!!

 

[epb]

I wonder if it has ads in it? Man, that would really tick me off!

Prepared to be ticked off. It doesn't just have ads, it has full-on interactive digital ads - they play commercials, audio, hypertext, all sorts of bells and whistles.

 

[Matth3w]

Worthless if you ask me. 500+MB for one issue, with content that is readily available for free not only on their website, but all over the internet.

Why anyone pays for their news, whether it be politics, current events, digital stuff, you name it...is beyond me.

If it's important enough to be interesting to me, it's going to be plastered all over the internet, blogs, and RSS feeds long before a monthly magazine subscription of any type is going to go to print.

 

[CaptKirk]

Good content, nice emag, but not for me.. to much $$$$$. i agree with another poster,, The advertisers are getting a better end solution so let them pick up the extra tab..

 

[epb]

Why anyone pays for their news, whether it be politics, current events, digital stuff, you name it...is beyond me.

I spend about $40 a month on car mags, and I'm often asked why, since there's so much car information on the net. The answer is one word: quality.

People think nothing of getting pro quality music off the net. If someone said "why bother with the Rolling Stones? Youtube is full of acne-covered teens doing covers of 'Gimme Shelter' on karaoke machines" we'd look at them like they were nuts.

I'm the same about writing. There are tons of fan sites about cars, but for the most part the writing is atrocious and the photography is awful. (Most US magazines aren't much better; Automobile is our best). Somewhere down the line, we decided that good writing wasn't a skill, just check for typos. Don't get me started on the lack of driving talent in car mags as well.

There will always be room in my wallet for quality content; the problem is that, so far, no one's hit on a model that works digitally. That takes advantage of the medium strengths, doesn't cost the earth, and is still worth reading.

 

[Matth3w]

I would agree except you can get most of the content from the mags, sans advertisements every other page, from their websites...in most cases.

 

[NumbLock]

I bought it too. Pretty cool if you enjoy that magazine. EXCELLENT if you ore outside the US like me and there is no other way.

Too expensive though.

Exciting sign of things to come!

 

[Robertt]

I'm the same about writing. There are tons of fan sites about cars, but for the most part the writing is atrocious and the photography is awful. (Most US magazines aren't much better; Automobile is our best). Somewhere down the line, we decided that good writing wasn't a skill, just check for typos.

I agree. Sifting through lousy content, and the majority of it is, really cuts into my time and effectiveness.

 

[Bmweezer]

Incredible, but...

Amazing app, which definitely offers more than simply a electronic copy of the magazine!!! However, I won't pay $5 for each issue.

Rumor is that magazine subscriptions are coming....hoping!

 

[Robotguy]

I already subscribe to Wired, so when I saw the iPad version I thought "Great, I'll go to their website and convert my subscription. Interactive content and I can save a tree."

Hah! $5 an issue? Most magazines let you access an online version for free if you have a subscription, yet Wired charges extra for a format limited to a single (albeit very cool) platform? I expect this may change in the future, although they have sold a awful lot of issues in a very short amount of time, so they may be thinking this is going to work. My guess is that this first round of sales was spurred by curiosity, and the next issue won't sell as much, if at all.

 

[Matth3w]

If I was reading the website correctly, you can subscribe to the Zinio version of the magazine for like 2 bucks more than the app...for an entire year!

 

[robsoule]

I guess I had to purchase it just to check it out. My complaint is like most here: the price. However, the interactivity is great. There is certainly more there than just pictures & words on a page. Right from the start there is more: the clip for Toy Story 3. It's also new in that you can experience the magazine by moving through the pages side-to-side by also top to bottom on some pages. Overall, I like the idea of the feature-rich content, but would appreciate a more reasonable price, $2 or $3 per copy.

 

[epb]

If I was reading the website correctly, you can subscribe to the Zinio version of the magazine for like 2 bucks more than the app...for an entire year!

The Zinio is just the print mag digitized - it won't be the iPad-enhanced version. Fewer bells and whistles, but also a lot less space on your drive.