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Wired's iPad edition arrives, converted from Flash by Adobe

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Re: Wired's iPad edition arrives, converted from Flash by Adobe

#21

Post by glhaynes »

WiseWeasel wrote: post #16
mgrouchy wrote: post #7

TBH, I think 5$/issue is a bit steep. In Canada I currently pay 40$/yr for my print subscription and I know that an American Print subscription is 20$/yr, so the price difference is pretty substantial. I will be keeping my print subscription until prices are more reasonable.

I'd buy it if I'm getting on a plane. Other than that, I just read their website.

Yeah, that's the key thing: in comparison to the print product, it's attractive to me.

But if I can get the info I'm looking for from their free no-storage website (and 30 seconds later bounce to another website, as we web folks are wont to do), it's really hard for me to get motivated to remember to go buy a $4.99 1 GB (500 MB on my iPad, 500 MB on my Mac where iTunes lives) app every month.

How can they successfully compete with themselves? And yet they can't shut off their free website and become utterly irrelevant.

Re: Wired's iPad edition arrives, converted from Flash by Adobe

#22

Post by qwzybug »

foomarks wrote: post #19

I have a strange feeling we've been here before: Are Magazine apps going to be the new Flash website?

It's really very well done. Lots of obvious spots where it's 1.0 (can't select text, lots of ads for iPhone apps that don't link to the store [fail!], some interactions are nonobvious or a little clunky), but the experience is fantastic.

Unlike most Flash websites, the tablet Wired is generally a genuine improvement over dead-tree, merging the interactivity of the web site with the design and browsability of the magazine with the UX capabilities of the iPad. Really, it's an accomplishment.

Too bad most of Wired's content is so resoundingly meh...

Edit: It's worth noting that 99% of the iPad magazine apps are roughly comparable to Flash websites: gain a little glitz, lose a lot of usability. The Wired magazine is the first one I've felt really nails it.

Re: Wired's iPad edition arrives, converted from Flash by Adobe

#23

Post by foomarks »

thesethings wrote: post #20
foomarks wrote: post #19

I have a strange feeling we've been here before: Are Magazine apps going to be the new Flash website?

Ha... I definitely get what you mean. Others have compared these "rich site" apps to CD-ROM, another dis. I think they are generally uninteresting, and not "the future," but could be an OK short-term product idea for legacy media companies. (But not business model) Old-school publishing companies have lots customers who might not exercise the same effort in discovery that you and i do. Let's compare to familiar terri…

I'm also thinking that the actual production of interactive material is, when done relevantly, extremely time consuming. Can the cost of programming and interaction design stay on budget? Will $5 per issue be able to sustain this type of setup?

Also, I'm trying to remember the last time when an interactive infographic was enlightening... [remembering] nope, I can't remember!

For magazine and paper news journalism, I think they can improve their market by going further into the video medium, not the interactive medium.

Re: Wired's iPad edition arrives, converted from Flash by Adobe

#24

Post by zach »

jonknee wrote: post #14
mgrouchy wrote: post #7

TBH, I think 5$/issue is a bit steep. In Canada I currently pay 40$/yr for my print subscription and I know that an American Print subscription is 20$/yr, so the price difference is pretty substantial. I will be keeping my print subscription until prices are more reasonable.

It's only $10/year in the US if you snag it off Amazon. $5/issue is nuts especially considering there are no printing or mailing costs.

So basically, the print version is the advertising-supported version. Because there are still a lot of print advertisers who they need to please by keeping their circulation numbers up. It's a weird digital/physical arbitrage.

Normally the digital version of something costs less but people's perceived value is far lower. Now we have a digital version of a magazine with a higher perceived value that costs significantly more. Well, if that was going to happen, it's fitting that it should be Wired who brings that to market.

Re: Wired's iPad edition arrives, converted from Flash by Adobe

#25

Post by foomarks »

qwzybug wrote: post #22
foomarks wrote: post #19

I have a strange feeling we've been here before: Are Magazine apps going to be the new Flash website?

It's really very well done. Lots of obvious spots where it's 1.0 (can't select text, lots of ads for iPhone apps that don't link to the store [fail!], some interactions are nonobvious or a little clunky), but the experience is fantastic. Unlike most Flash websites, the tablet Wired is generally a genuine improvement over dead-tree, merging the interactivity of the web site with the design and browsability of the maga…

"Too bad most of Wired's content is so resoundingly meh..."

Guess I know where they should really spend their time and money!

Re: Wired's iPad edition arrives, converted from Flash by Adobe

#26

Post by jonknee »

zach wrote: post #24
jonknee wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's only $10/year in the US if you snag it off Amazon. $5/issue is nuts especially considering there are no printing or mailing costs.

So basically, the print version is the advertising-supported version. Because there are still a lot of print advertisers who they need to please by keeping their circulation numbers up. It's a weird digital/physical arbitrage. Normally the digital version of something costs less but people's perceived value is far lower. Now we have a digital version of a magazine with a higher perceived value that costs significantl…

But yet the digital version is still loaded with ads.
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