Why iPad Magazine Apps Suck: They're Defined By The Past, Not The Future
from the paperless-magazines dept
Earlier this year, we suggested that the media industy's infatuation with the iPad as some sort of savior was going to result in serious disappointment. Part of the reason was that the media industry was salivating over the false belief that it could bring back the old "gatekeeper" control that it used to have, and which its old business model was built from. And, indeed, the early results of iPad magazines aren't particularly promising. Now, it's still quite early, and two things are likely to happen: tablet computers (and better smartphones) will become more popular and publishers will become smarter about these things over time. So I wouldn't read too much into the success/failure numbers at this stage.However, I tend to agree with this analysis by Khoi Vinh that suggests a major problem is that magazine publishers are focused on building apps that are too much like "magazines," which is not how people want to use their mobile devices:
My opinion about iPad-based magazines is that they run counter to how people use tablets today and, unless something changes, will remain at odds with the way people will use tablets as the medium matures. They're bloated, user-unfriendly and map to a tired pattern of mass media brands trying vainly to establish beachheads on new platforms without really understanding the platforms at all.To be honest, this isn't that surprising. The problem, as with almost all new media technologies is that those who came from the earlier media worlds try to define the new world in terms of the old. It's why original TV programs simply tried to replicate radio programs, until people realized that you could do something quite different in a visual medium. It's why many media companies still look at the internet as a broadcast medium designed for delivering its content to the masses -- rather than recognizing that the real power is in its use as a communications platform.
The fact of the matter is that the mode of reading that a magazine represents is a mode that people are decreasingly interested in, that is making less and less sense as we forge further into this century, and that makes almost no sense on a tablet. As usual, these publishers require users to dive into environments that only negligibly acknowledge the world outside of their brand, if at all -- a problem that's abetted and exacerbated by the full-screen, single-window posture of all iPad software. In a media world that looks increasingly like the busy downtown heart of a city -- with innumerable activities, events and alternative sources of distraction around you -- these apps demand that you confine yourself to a remote, suburban cul-de-sac.
Eventually they'll adjust and figure it out (or, if they don't, go out of business). And then the solutions that work won't be "magazines as an app," but services that really make use of what these devices enable: communication and content on the go.
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Well, yeah
Promise me its as open as an HTML page, and I'll pay attention.
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Consumption-oriented
I don't think that is what young consumers want. Young consumers want applications that let them participate, not just consume. Older customers might be more interested in pure consumption, but that kind of model isn't going to appeal to young people. The first real break-out magazine type of app will be the one that figures out how to draw people in, allow them to contribute, and build a community.
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Re: Consumption-oriented
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Re: Consumption-oriented
Bingo. There's a reason it's called an "application." Computer applications are meant to be used, not stared at.
The only thing I disagree with is the "young consumers" bit. I see it as more of a "disposable income" division. That is: if you don't have a lot of money, what you buy has damn well better satisfy you. You're not going to buy a $1000 device just for reading magazines. And that seems to be what publishers think the iPad (&etc) is supposed to be.
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The Medium Is The Message
Perfectly pointed out, the difference between a broadcast medium and a communications medium. People trying to make automobiles like trains aren't going to get too far, and miss the strength of the automobile (best car analogy I can think of right now :D
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If I interpret "map to a tired pattern of mass media brands"
In my view, almost no magazine format survives, not even by specialized apps with practically unlimited interactions, because of lack of advertising income. But perhaps I'm just being optimistic.
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iPad Magazine Faults
I particularly enjoy the ZINIO application and find that the Magazine Subscriptions that I have through the App are quite enjoyable. One thing I like is that Zinio not only offers US Magazines, but Magazines from all over the Globe. Sure, at the moment there are some Magazines that aren't offered through Zinio, but that's not Zinio's fault, again, it's the Publisher who for some reason wants to deliver a bloated POS that isn't worth the paper it's printed on, or is that the Packets that it's built with now?
I hope that in the near future, Magazine Publishers just offer a straight up Digital Copy of their work, instead of trying to make something so over-the-top that it becomes a pain in the butt to view or use.
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That, to me, is a turn off. Since it has been preached forever that the high cost of "stuff/crap" is due to the material/distribution costs.
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Mantras...
It's the browser stupid.
The browser is the new OS.
Apps are easily monetized and controlled, but the bread and butter of smartphones and tablets is the robust mobile web browser. Bonus: Your shit works with regular, old, boring computers too!
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More trivia
Couldn't we have a "trivia" flag on stuff like this, that would let us fast-forward?
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Zinio is a good app
The potential is there for publishers to offer truly compelling reading and viewing experiences when they decide to fully embrace the digital platform. Hopefully that will be soon.
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It's articles such as this that make me want to slit my wrists.
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Web2.0 was all about putting user content online for all to see-- meaning every meaningless piece of the net had comment boards and mega-interaction with all the social networking sites.
"cloud computing" was all hyped up on the idea that you don't won't need to install another piece of software as it will all be accessible over the web soon.
Now with the 'app' wave, it's all reverse. Just about every respectable website has its own downloadable piece of software which presents a modified form of the standard html version of the site, sometimes for offline access. However, ever since the late 90s we've been trying to get everything persistently, constantly connected. Always-on software and hardware, broadband everywhere. The idea of having multitudes of disjoint pieces of software that are really nothing more than memory-hogging bookmarks is incompatible with the philosophy of broadband.
Needless. The iApp phase is just that.
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Re:
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Going Backwards
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So while some in this thread are criticizing magazine app publishers or ipad for not using the ether to its full potential, I suggest that most of these professional publishers are actually preserving what they know has been tried and true: the linear story. It means they can enhance the story with interactivity and hyperlinked access, but not to the point that is a distraction or an interruption to the linear story. The initial wave of magazine apps have been an excellent effort.
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Re:
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I'm now a convert to iPad Magazines!
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ipad jailbreak
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