Back to Mobile View

Skip to Content

Apple Xcode magazine template could streamline iPad publishing

by Steven Sande Mar 14th 2011 at 3:00PM

Magazines and newspapers on the iPad would appear to be a perfect match for the device, but attempts such as Rupert Murdoch's The Daily and Sir Richard Branson's Project have met with limited success. There are many possible reasons for this, ranging from Apple's demands for 30 percent of all revenues from in-app purchases of subscriptions to the lack of a consistent user experience. The latter seems to be the biggest problem for many potential readers, since each magazine or newspaper seems to have its own unique method of navigating pages.

Gadget Daily News is claiming that Apple has an answer in the works: a magazine template for the Xcode development environment that will provide a consistent, manageable user experience. The template will not only provide a familiar look and feel between all magazines and newspapers that are developed using the code, but also make it simple to sell subscriptions and back issues from within the app.

According to Gadget Daily News, this should open up iPad publishing considerably, since people who wish to create and sell their own content need only get together with a developer to get their magazines or newspapers into the App Store in a short amount of time. The template could open up a huge new market for what blogger Anthony Morganti calls "Garage Magazines" -- self-published magazines that target a specific market. That's an apt moniker, considering that the company making this possible began its life in a garage.

The template is expected to arrive before the end of 2011. Let's just hope that self-titled magazines like the one shown in the illustration above don't become commonplace.

[via Electronista]



View Tags

Related Stories

Categories

Apple Developer iPad

Magazines and newspapers on the iPad would appear to be a perfect match for the device, but attempts such as Rupert Murdoch's The Daily...
 

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum Comment Moderation Enabled. Your comment will appear after it is cleared by an editor.

15 Comments

Filter by:
rgtXplor

I've published a digital edition for 5 years now. We just launched the iPad version using BlueToad. Our resources are modest so we don't go over the top. I like to think that the result is an excellent alternative to a printed magazine. Our mag is not animation or video heavy but the optional hyperlinks and ability to open additional content like linked videos or slideshows makes for a very cool experience.

I say if its done right, and done light, it works. It will still feel like a magazine.

BTW, what is the truth about hair loss?!!

March 14 2011 at 7:37 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Colin

Can we agree that the limited success of "The Daily" has more to do with it's "Sub-USA Today" quality writing and less to do with it's user experience. I love the app, hate the content.

March 14 2011 at 5:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bill Mac

Nice - that simple "title" says "SEE STEVE TV" - at least how I read it. :)

March 14 2011 at 4:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Carl

Love this idea. I don't have a magazine - I'm a college adjunct professor. I once developed all my material and made handouts. Some of my colleagues sell their material through the college store. I have made my content available on a class website - still when making 9 grand / year it would be nice to be able to have the benefits of digital distribution with the profit possibilities.

March 14 2011 at 4:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dom

The navigation comment might be true but who wants every magazine to look exactly the same? How does making GQ look like Popular Science make business sense? If this were true magazines would have done it years ago. iPad mags struggle because reading them is more about a paradigm shift from having a wad of paper in your hand to a stiff backlit object, than about their design.

March 14 2011 at 4:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Twist

I would rather not have magazines as apps. I would rather have a reader and magazines as files for that reader. Heck I am good with just getting a slightly reformatted PDF version of the print mag.

March 14 2011 at 3:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to Twist's comment
Jay

So anyone know where I can get this Steve magazine? I NEED to know about those cats!

March 14 2011 at 3:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
starq

Steve — I always thought you were cool till you wrote the 'Cats I've known and loved' article. :-)

March 14 2011 at 3:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Edward Patel

But if you want to publish your magazines on the iPad as ie Popular Science you can today use mag+ which take care of the app building process and you only need to focus on your content.
http://www.magplus.com

March 14 2011 at 3:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to Edward Patel's comment
Buy an ad here

Tweets

© 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.