Description: Since Apple introduced the iPad last year, publishers have poured millions of dollars into apps in the hopes that the device could revolutionize the industry by changing the way magazines are read and sold to consumers.
Source: Globe and Mail.com
Date: Jan 17 , 2011
“If you look at the Apple store,” said David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, which offers five publications on the iPad, “the most common reason that people give an app a low rating is that it lacks a subscription option. They want to subscribe, and they don’t like the idea of paying $4.99 a month.”
Subscriptions are another sticking point. A vast majority of magazines available on the iPad must be purchased per copy. Customers cannot subscribe and have it delivered as they can with other publications available on the iPad like The Economist, The Wall Street Journal or The Daily, the News Corp.’s new iPad-only venture that is to begin within the next few weeks. That means if consumers want to receive the magazine regularly, they would have to pay far above normal subscription rates. Read rest of story
Questions for discussion:
- Why is the print industry in such a dire situation ?
- What type of business model would you suggest to the print industry implement that works both for the industry and for the consumer?
logan redman
I personally prefer to have everything I read in a physical state such as actual paper, a magazine or a textbook. I would not want to have my paper or magazines on an Ipad for that reason. Also, what’s the hype about the Ipad for? Its a super-sized Ipod touch with less capacity than most of the computers on the market. The ipad is an awkward in-between gadget being sold for the pure purpose of making money.
Selena
despite being someone who likes to hold in my hand the hardcopy of the magazines i choose to buy, i would be willing to purchase the app for the publication if it were to cost ANY less. not only is there no subscription, but there is no discount for the non paper copy. you’d think they could cut a deal since they dont have to pay for shipping or retail of the virtual product.
Brenda Bicharr
One thing about apple is they are the novice’ of most of their ideas but like every great idea competitors can and always sooner than later end up catching on. leaving the competition more about the quality of the same product than anything else.
In my opinion, magazine pages are a good thing to use on applications, however the transition from paperless mags to apps with subscriptions would be asking too much fron people. Not everything can go IT and expect to be more or as successful as it was before getting online. Just like the idea of new york times turning it down, they kno the originality of it , people who do collections, people who collect magazine covers, people who get posters. In as much as apple is a great company, its success in this domain would be based more on its product like in the past and not it magazine transitions to Apps.