Videos: Wired, VIVmag showcase iPad offerings

VIVmag is giving away a dozen iPads to celebrate the upcoming issue:

http://idek.net/1Cir

I'm excited about the possibility of renewing my reading relationship with magazines. I too have gradually replaced all my print reading with blogs and websites over the years.

But really, they can just seem so shallow and amatuerish sometimes. Their business plan requires the rapid repeditive generation of short superficial word bites to generate daily repeat viewing of their ppc ads.

Paid content such as Magazine subscriptions can support the investment in better researched written, illustrated and edited articles. Though I am sure there will still be plenty of ads. But please god, don't let them develop the digital equivalent of those card inserts that used to drop out every time you turned the page...

I have a pile of MacWorld, MacTech, Mac|Life, Scientific American, New Yorker, Wired, Maximum PC, Discover and Sky & Telescope magazines (about 8" worth) by my foot waiting to be caught up with. I wouldn't mind subscribing to digital versions on my iPad and save all that wood. Some recyclers don't like magazines too. So much waste, and you can't bookmark anything without using more paper (postit note :-).

I used to subscribe to every car magazine imaginable, as well as PopSci, PopMechanics, and several guitar and woodworking mags.

As of now, I have ONE magazine subscription and that is only because the subscription hasn't run out yet. I have no intention to renew.

Why get a car mag like Automobile, MotorTrend, or Road and Track when I can get the same information from many car blogs a lot faster. I can also get good reviews from people that don't depend on advertising from the manufacturer. The same goes for many of my other magazines.

Not only must magazines start using the iPad (or other device) for delivering content, they'll need to create these immersive environments that really get the readers attention. They'll also have to do daily or weekly updates, instead of monthly (or bi-monthly for most woodworking mags). IMO, these guys are going in that exact direction. If they pull it off right, their futures will be very bright. The iPad may just let them get the pay wall they've been looking for.

Interesting to see if this really goes anywhere. I mean, I've pretty much stopped read magazines altogether, just because it's an outdated content delivery system. Really, they were designed as a way to deliver up to date in depth content in a world without the internet.

Now you can just jump on any of a plethora of websites and get the content that they used to provide for free. So why in the world would we want a digital version of an outdated content deliver system when we already have that in the form a websites? And hell, I grew up before the world wide web, and used to subscribe to and avidly read several magazines. So it's not like I'm some youngster (get off my lawn you) espousing how we should do away with all the old timey stuff. But really, I'd think the iPad would be another nail in the coffin of periodicals, with it's very portable hand held browsing capabilities.