A lot has been made by the publishing industry about Apple’s Newsstand with iOS 5. But does it give the modern man anything good to read?
Let’s not be mistaken, magazines have been available online for years now. Apple is certainly not a pioneer in this field and has never claimed to be. Zinio, for example, has been around for years and is quite popular in the States. But, like music, magazine pricing wasn’t made much cheaper but its introduction. Indeed, the amazing pricing of subscriptions in the States, where advertising makes up for breaking even through copy sales or even losing some money thanks to large subscription bases, meant that it was always going to be virtually impossible for online offerings to undercut print. That’s not necessarily the case in Australia though, were subscriptions still cost upwards of $50 by comparison to $10 in the US, and single issues $8 plus.
So can Australian men get any good reads virtually thanks to iOS 5, Newsstand and Apple? Or are they still better off heading down to the local newsagents and rolling that mag into a cylinder to tuck it under their arm while they stroll off to their next meeting? We’ve taken a good, hard, look at the Newsstand offerings and pricing to see what may pique the interest of some.
The good news is that some big publishers have jumped on board from day one: Conde Naste, ACP, Future Publishing, Bonnier and more. But that hasn’t really resulted in a good range of local magazines. Australian publishers seem to still be deciding on the merits of iPad offerings. Haymarket got in early, as did ACP, but other offerings are few and far between.
There are 296 titles at time of writing, and the vast majority are from the US or UK, with a limited amount of Aussie offerings. We’ve sorted through them to come up with a few suggestions.
PC & Tech Authority (Tech): $5.49. This is still hidden in the entertainment section though.
Man About Town (General): $12.99 for a yearly subscription
Men’s Health US (Fitness): $5.49
Commons & Sense Mans Magazine (Japanese/Internetional fashion): $4.99
Modern Magazine (Popular culture): $1.99
Web Designer (Tech): $6.49
Esquire UK (Men’s interest): $5.49
SciFiNow (SciFi): $5.49
Auto Week (Motoring): $0.99
How it Works (Science and mechanics): $4.49
Digital Camera World (Photoraphy); $7.49
Guitar World Magazine (Music): $8.49
Kingpin (Skateboarding): $2.99
Magic Numbers (Business): $5.49 but you have to buy the damn app for $0.99! The cheek.
Comic Heroes (Comics and SciFi): $7.49
Pro Cycling (Sports): $5.49
Runner’s World US (Sports): $5.49
SFX (SciFi): $5.49
Edge (Videogames): $5.49
PC Plus (Computers): $5.49
Vanity Fair (General interest): $4.49-$6.49
Spin Play (Music): $1.99 (iPad only magazine)
Science New Prime (Science and technology): $2.99
GQ UK (Men’s interest): $4.49
Esquire US (Men’s interest): $5.49
Popular Mechanics (Science and technology/DIY): $2.49
The Spectator (News): $8.49
Popular Science (Science and technology): $2.49
Wired (Science and technology): $4.49
Gourmet Traveller (Food and travel): $6.49
Popular Photography (Photography): $2.49
Car and Driver (Motoring): $5.49
T3 UK (Technology): $5.49
GQ US (Men’s interest): $5.49
Golf Digest (Sport): $5.49
Total Politics (News): $2.99
Project (General interest): $4.49
Damian Francis has previously edited Australian T3 and F1 Racing magazine and wrote for GQ Australia and Men’s Health. Unlike Nick and Trev, he has no kids, no mortgage and no wife, but lives happily on Sydney’s North Shore with his girlfriend.
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