WTD: Zinio and International Magazines for iPad

Where have I been? Apparently Zinio features magazine subscriptions to be read on the computer and soon on the iPad. Although they’ve been around for over 10 years, for some reason they haven’t come up in my Google searches for internet magazine subscriptions. So I’m going to try and get the word out. In my last post I posted how the iPad needs magazine subscriptions before I would buy one. Zinio has them. And they have plenty of car mags to subscribe to, including Road & Track. I think my decision has been made now. Zinio makes the Apple iPad Worth The Dough.

It seems like the cost of the subscriptions are the same as or a couple bucks less than their paper counterparts. Or as some people call “dead tree versions.” For example the Road & Track subscription is $8 as opposed to $10 for the print version. The real savings however are in International magazine subscriptions.

British car magazines are widely known to be bigger and better than US car magazines. And since Europe is where Formula 1 is popular, their F1 publications, like F1 Racing, are amazing. The US simply does not have any dedicated F1 publications because F1 isn’t as big in the US. Subscriptions to these mags by a US subscriber are very expensive. I mean, these British publications are expensive for British subscribers too but with shipping fees and other fees it’s even worse for US subscribers. For example, a 1 year subscription to the print edition of F1 Racing is $66 for UK subscribers and $90 for US subscribers! So far Zinio only has the spanish version of F1 Racing, but a 1 year subscription is $43.39. Look at the cost savings! Cheaper for both UK and US subscribers. Here are some other prices for US subscriptions to other International publications.

Lastly, I’m going to go slightly off topic and mention that for those who like reading novels more than periodicals, it’s been said that Project Gutenberg books will work on the iPad. “The site has over 30,000 free ebooks, most of them classics whose copyrights have lapsed.”

So there it is. The Apple iPad is Worth The Dough and Zinio is a major reason why. If you like international magazines like I do, then it is WTD for you too!

WTD: Why Magazines Need to Be On the iPad Pronto!

Yesterday the Wi-Fi version of the Apple iPad became available for pre-order. I’ll eventually get an iPad, but I didn’t pre-order it. Why not? No, not because it doesn’t have flash or a webcam, but because the Apple iPad is not Worth the Dough for me unless there are magazines available for it! Without magazines on the iPad, not only does Apple not get my money, the magazine publications don’t get my money either because I won’t be subscribing to any until they have an iPad version.

I’m a big fan of magazines and throughout my life I’ve been a subscriber of magazines like Road & Track, Men’s Health and Wired. Well I’ve since slowed down with my subscriptions because the internet has replaced them as my avenue for consuming articles that are not only interesting to read, but also visually appealing with great photography. And that’s what magazines are all about. But I still like to flip through the glossy pages of a magazine and would rather do that than sit in front of an iMac or Macbook clicking through the internet with a Magic Mouse. And that’s what appeals to me the most about the iPad – The ability to feel like I’m flipping through a magazine while getting content like the internet. An internet magazine on my lap!

So I repeat. Magazine publications better create an iPad version and subscription model soon because they won’t have my business again until they do. So far only Conde Nast has revealed any plans to develop magazine apps. Wired says they’ll have one by the summer and it looks great. That’s probably about the time I’ll buy the iPad and my first magazine subscription in awhile. My Wired subscription just ended and I want to renew it b/c it is a great publication, but I’m going to wait until their iPad app comes out before I subscribe again.

I’m also hoping that one of the car publications will get their content onto an iPad. I hope Road & Track does because they are my favorite car publication. 0-60 Mag would be great too because they emphasize great photography. Edmunds’ Inside Line website on the internet would be a great template for an iPad automotive magazine application. It has great visual slideshows that can be seen full screen to go along with their articles. And that would be perfect for the iPad. Check out one of their articles. Just what the iPad was designed for. I really don’t know why Apple didn’t push to have magazines (and comic books for that matter) onto their iPad instead of just iBooks.

So my message to the magazine publications and Apple: Put magazines onto the iPad pronto! Magazine subscriptions and the iPad aren’t Worth the Dough to me until that happens.

2010 New York Mets and Jose Reyes

Should I be optimistic about the 2010 season for the NY Mets? This Sports Illustrated article hints what to expect this season.

I’m a genuine Mets fan, but much of my interest in watching them this year depends on whether my favorite player, Jose Reyes, is healthy and in the lineup. He’s my favorite player because I used to play baseball back in Little League and Reyes is the type of player I would’ve wanted to be if I miraculously made the Major Leagues. I did some leadoff hitting and loved to play shortstop. And I think the stolen base is so much fun to watch. Jose is one of the best and most exciting to watch. Good luck to him and the Mets this year!