iPad Magazine Sales Fall

wwd.com:

Remember when Wired's debut issue for the iPad sold more than 100,000 times in June? It looks like it will be a while before that type of performance is seen again. Digital sales dropped toward the end of 2010 for all the magazines that make those figures available to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Read the whole story: wwd.com

Comments

[entx1980]

11:25 PM on 01/02/2011

I love my iPad. My iPhone which was given to me for Christmas two years ago was my most used and enjoyed gift in years. For this Christmas I was given a 64 GB 3G iPad and I've hardly put it down since Christmas day. We can't get high speed internet where I live so the iPad has been great to surf all the places that normally take too long to load. (like huff post!)

Just as I said on the iPhone post earlier...if you don't like apple products...keep your wallet (and your mouth) firmly closed. I won't harass anyone for their computing choices and in return I'll expect the same courtesy.

[Brandon1990]

08:47 PM on 01/02/2011

I knew the ipad was just an overrated device nothing about this devices attacks me to pay $500.00 for this over sized ipod touch.

[R U Sirius]

09:52 AM on 01/02/2011

Who wants to carry that thing around all day? Make it small enough to put in my pocket, and --what's that? They're called 'smart phones'? And they do pretty much everything an iPad does, PLUS you can make calls on them? Imagine that....

[TrixieCDN]

02:09 PM on 01/02/2011

I have PDA, laptop, netbook and iPad. I am not a fanboy(girl) of any particular o/s but I find the ergonomics of the iPad very convenient for carrying around all day and simpler than the laptop/netbook. It pushes my email as quickly as my BB and is easier to reply with.

PDA is usually in a mini-purse I have to carry around every day since the current holsters are pretty useless if you do not wear a belt.

To each their own. I will be interested in the new generation of half-size tablets, but doubt I will switch over immediately.

[samuraifrog37]

07:34 PM on 01/02/2011

Sounds like you got a lot of redundant junk. They must have seen you coming.

[Samiiam]

03:05 AM on 01/02/2011

And the simple answer is: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[jukesgrrl]

03:06 PM on 01/01/2011

I was thinking of subscribing to a particular magazine and looked into getting it on my E-reader. I was surprised to find it MORE expensive than the paper one that would be delivered to my house. Some people (the constant travelers?) might find the convenience worth paying for, but I can't think of a single other reason I'd pay more for something to see it 75% smaller.

[Corvid]

10:37 AM on 01/01/2011

I'll agree with a lot of the skeptics in the comments here. I'll also add that maybe Marshall McLuhan was right: the medium is the message. Or something pretty close to it. I still don't think people take very seriously most of what they read online. Even outstanding, long-form journalism appears online as just another fleck of flotsam in a sea of highly questionable and outright trashy infotainment.

For a story to have real impact, it needs to be in print, something permanent, tangible and a form we more closely (though not necessarily) associate with at least the potential for credibility. Print is also a far more pleasant and innovative form of presentation. Think of the glorious full-page ads you often see in newspapers. And the ads aren't annoying! Online, I curse every time some lousy pop-up blocks my attempt to read something.

Print is also a three-dimensional experience. It just feels different to hold something -- like a fat newspaper or a well-designed magazine -- in your hands and examine the complete package, which in turn helps shape your impression of all the copy and ads in that package. There are forms that have been developed and shaped over generations, not overnight by some nerd.

Finally, in regard to the iPad, why would you want something that, to begin with, is censored by Apple through its app store and then, with the new FCC rules, will be further censored by a content provider?

[holierdandao]

08:11 PM on 12/30/2010

Like me, I'm sure many consumers are waiting on color e-ink. Did publishers really think we'd renew and/or get new subscriptions simply because they added a few glitzy videos and tons of flashy ads?

1.Devoted readers either own kindles/nooks or, purchase physical copies of newspapers and magazines

2. Simply as a reading device, an i-Pad is economically inefficient. $500 is worth it if you will be utilizing it for games, internet, videos, etc., but not simply as an e-reader.

3. No one wants to read long-hand articles such as those found in the New Yorker or the Economist through the glare of a back-light.

[MrVee]

05:18 PM on 12/30/2010

Who is surprised by this? This isn't the reason most own ipads, Social media, videos and games occupy 97 percent of why most buy them. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad reason to get an ipad. But e-magazines have no real market and no one has cracked the code to make them worth spending money on.

[Lee Manns]

12:58 AM on 12/30/2010

Shouldn't price 'em so high! You schmucks get what you deserve.

[Z-Liberator]

06:03 PM on 12/29/2010

Thats what they get for trying to sell stuff that is free on the internet!!!! HA!

[ran6110]

03:56 PM on 12/29/2010

Sorry, too expensive...
Too many full screen ads.
Too busy trying to be cool and trendy.
Too many screens with little or no 'real' content.

Give me a linear format with a swipe left or right and maybe swipe down to show the TOC, oh remembering the last page I read and maybe some bookmarks. I use to fold corners to keep track of things I wanted to remember or come back to later.

And every other page doesn't have to be an ad for some foo foo high end garbage I wouldn't let my cat buy...

Also, I realize the company that puts the electronic issue together wants everyone to know how cool and trendy they are but I shouldn't have to 'pay' for you to advertise...

[kinogod]

11:38 AM on 12/29/2010

They are waaaaay too expensive

[Adam Story]

12:04 PM on 12/29/2010

You beat me to it. Until they have some sort of subscription program, I can't afford to buy $80 a years' worth of apps.

[netzwerg]

10:58 AM on 12/29/2010

I'd pay 0,50€ per month for a digital magazine subscription.

[Alien Nation]

10:42 AM on 12/29/2010

You mean gimmicks don't keep consistent sales? What are you going to tell me next, that fart apps aren't going to see an increase in sales?

[bluguy8]

09:36 AM on 12/29/2010

there are hardly any magazines available. so what are you talking about

[Gudrun]

11:01 AM on 12/29/2010

I'm sure it will take a while for more to be available. Right now, the one magazine subscription I have, I read on my phone, and that works well for me.