“One of the most well-known and prolific magazines in the Mac world, MacAddict, is slated to be completely re-vamped according to a recent Craigslist posting for an Editor-in-Chief. Not only will the magazine go through a complete design facelift, it will also have a new mission and ‘voice.’ Finally, good ol’ MacAddict will be shedding its name from the olden days and adopting the new moniker of ‘Mac|Life,'” Jacqui Cheng reports for Ars Technica.
Full article here.
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I liked it the way it was. Subscriber since the first issue. But then I can see that “addict” might perpetuate the cult stereotype. And the CDs have been strangely weak lately.
With many others, I believe this is a bad move. Their feeling is that the Mac world has changed. In fact, with many people coming to the Mac, I believe there are even more “addicts” today. The name should stay the same. In any case, others are concerned about infringement caused by the change. Most of us came to MacAddict because of its stronger tone and easy writing style. Worked for us. Clearly, they feel they need to make a change to stay healthy. I would recommend they look in a different direction.
Our little addict has a life now…
Here is what the editor said in MacAddict’s forum:
“Ah, the Web … we’re all one big info-sharing family these days, eh?
We were juuust about to go public with our plans for the new, bigger, better magazine, but we wanted to get all of our personnel ducks in a row, first. But now that the word is out, here’s the deal:
1. MacAddict is, indeed, changing its name to MacLife early next year.
2. The new magazine will be bigger, thicker, better-looking, and stuffed with how-to articles, more-ambitious feature stories, authoritative reviews, and plenty of the engaging, entertaining content that has made MacAddict so popular and such an enjoyable read.
3. The name MacAddict was from another time (1996), back when our stories were about “Fighting Back for the Mac.” Apple was on the ropes, and a feisty attitude was exactly the right tack to take. Today, Apple is riding high — its products are the most elegant, coolest, most industry-influencing available. We don’t need to fight back anymore. We won.
4. I’m not going away; I’ll still be an integral part of the MacLife team, but I’ll be contributing in a different way — I’d tell you more about it now, but, hey, we have to keep some surprises, right? One major hint: When you see your first copy of big, thick, gorgeous MacLife, fire up Safari and browse on over to MacLife.com. Oh, and if you’re interested, moving on from being the editor in chief to my new role was my idea, not management’s.
5. Times change. Magazines change. Those that don’t respond to new realities — such as the fact that Apple is doing great and that our lives have become Mac lives — wither and fade. Personally, I’m not a witherer and a fader — and neither are our readers. Next year is going to kick serious hiney — and MacLife will be kicking it along with Apple and all the third-party hardware and software folks. When MacAddict launched in September of 1996, its first cover contained the message “Why the Mac’s Future Is Bright,” but the article that accompanied that statement had more than a little whistling in the dark in it. Today, there’s no question that the Mac — and Apple, and the iPod, and whatever comes next — has a sparkling future. So we’re going to create an equally sparkling, entertaining, info-packed, gorgeous new magazine. The time is right; the time is now.
Rik Myslewski
Editor in Chief
MacAddict”
Rik, your comments make me want to subscribe just to be part of your transformation. But, I must remain web-based, for the days of printed magazines delivered to my door are over.
Whats a magazine? and how do I load one into Safari?
MacAddict/Future US may want to consider catering to more of an international audience along the lines of MacDirectory magazine. Exploring the lives of creative people using Macs to develop their visions. Interviewing the likes of Gene Munster about how investors should value the parts of Apple and what is a reasonable premium with and without Steve Jobs. Meet with Apple Directors, Al Gore and others, to explore their aims and what other business interests may affect judgements regarding Apple. How could Jobs minimalist style transfer to an Appleesque design for office, home and ergonomics. Imagine the expanded advertising pool willing to influence and fulfill the MacAddiction and the resulting ad revenues generated to bring more pages to us every month. As MacAddict has aged so has its base and with age prospered financially; bringing along their youthful exuberance with an ability to fulfill desires beyond their means a decade ago. Isn’t that what we MacAddict readers really want, more and better with fun?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
itll be just like macworld, and it wont be fun anymore.
i am not renewing my subscription.
I just started using Zinio reader on my 15″ Powerbook and it’s very cool. I would love to subscribe to MacAddict too with Zinio reader but It’s not available.
I still love print magazines but the digital version is so much more convenient. You can actually click on links in the digital magazine. It’s cool.
The links in Macworld magazine allows me to visit the different past articles they refer to in current articles.
I had a subscripto MA once upon a time. Let it run out because I would have already read everything on the web by the time the latest issue got to my house with nothing but old news. Still, it’s a cool mag and well written.
MDN word: change. A change is gonna come. Oh wait, it already did.
First impression on the headline – ACK!
Second impression upon reading the submission from Rik – RIGHT ON!
Will look forward to what’s cooking. Can’t imagine they’d let their attitude go away, and certainly didn’t see any indication that this will turn them into another “MacWorld”. Don’t get me wrong – I like MacWorld for what it is, and have subscriptions to both – but it will certainly be interesting to see what happens.
Change isn’t always welcome to those that “like it the way it was”, but change always happens. Otherwise, you shrivel away, or go into bankruptcy, or get bought out, or…
Not all bad–sounds like MacAddict will be thickened with more re-purposed MacFormat content.
The UK mags seem to focus a lot more on how to kinds of articles, in addition to news and reviews.
That’s one way to differentiate between magazines and the web–how to articles aren’t time sensitive, and appeal more to the people that aren’t check mac rumor sites several times a day.
I too subscribed since issue 1 and it did change about a year or so ago. I didn’t renew. Same happened to MacUser magazine (remember it?) , I dropped that subscription and within a year MacWorld bought it out and it was dropped. I’m sure someone else will come along.
I subscribed to MA from the first issue, but let it lapse once Rik took over. I thought it really went downhill after Prison Guy left.
MW: heart, as in Prison Guy was the heart of MA
My wife has been a cross-platform tech support person for companies such as Symantec and Dantz. She had a book case full of Mac Addict magazines which she read and then carefully catalogued. About 3 years ago she renewed her subscription, but received a nasty note saying her payment hadn’t arrived and delivery of the magazine would cease immediately. After a month or so of trying to communicate with Mac Addict, including mailing in a copy of the cancelled check, we finally reached the point where she was sitting there with the cancelled check for the subscription renewal in her hand and speaking to a Mac Addict representative. His position was that no such check existed and that she was lying about it. We’ve never considered subscribing again.
I have been a reader or subscriber for about 5 years. I have also noticed that it is has had problems for the past year or so. Actually, the content is not getting worse overall, but there is just very little of it. Actually, the content has slipped a little, too.
Disgruntled – I’d be pissed, too. That sucks
Disgruntled,
That happened to me with MW – it was the last time I ever even picked up one of their magazines, much less a subscription.
I’ve always liked MA, but not enough to keep a subscription going over a long period. I buy one off of the shelf once in awhile now.
i let subscription expire about six yrs ago.
it was a silly rag
@Disgruntled: !!!!! I had a similar situation… but it didn’t get quite as bad as what that sounds like!
After that my whole attitude changed. I dropped my renewals of both MA and MW. I never read them anyway. That’s the problem with computer magazines. A huge chunk of people who are interested in them will get their news/reading online. I will probably never subscribe to another print magazine or newspaper ever again. And I work for a huge printer! Doh!
Grow up whiners and nay sayers.
1. The name change is a very positive one.
2. Grief stories have no place here
This change follows an intervention by MacAddict’s closest friends and family.
It is sad that so many people don’t read print anymore. Many print magazines still have more complete information than shorter on-line summaries. Not all mags are available on-line. Some have great graphics that aren’t yet available on-line for more than one reason. I do subscribe to some mags just to look at the pictures. (Not THOSE pictures. I mean Outdoor Photographer, National Geographic, etc.) I do find print more comfortable to read though. I can read them in (almost) any position – unlike a digital version when I normally have to sit up and stare into the light on the screen. Great for some stuff, just not always comfortable. I would also hate to see the few Mac mags we have disappear. PC mags would still be left. Seems bad to me. Well, I hope that MA gets its act together. I have always thought it is (was) one of the best to read. Lots of people were attached to it subscribing from Day 1.
Disgruntled: Terrible story. Too many companies do stupid things like that. Not only did it hurt you and lose your subscription, but, even now, the on-going retelling of it is likely losing them even more. If they knew how to get hold of you, I suspect they would (should) love to get you a “free” (knowing you already paid for some of it anyway!) two or three year subscription!
Apple has certainly changed
Mac evangelism, cult behavior and such did help keep Apple alive through the dark years because the main reason people got to know about Mac’s was through other people.
Now Apple is using the Apple Stores, TV advertising, the iPod halo effect, iTunes and other means to do that. Shunning the evangelism “cultish” marketing technique.
We should of course continue to help others get up on Mac’s and enjoy the internet in relatively safety. But we Mac users shouldn’t feel we are up against the ropes anymore.
Apple’s market share will grow depending on how Apple caters to the needs of the computing public.
If they continue with this limited product line and lack of options, they will remain in the single digit market share.
I used to pick it up every now and then but found it mostly annoying in that it was more adds than magazine. Personally, for most reasons I think all magazines/newspapers should go digital.
Save some trees.
I for one would not want my last gasp of fresh air due to the loss of trees be because The Inquirer needed to be issued.
Trollin’:
Pick up the phone and call somebody who cares what you think. I have a long memory for customer service that is rude and unhelpful. Perhaps they can now understand our frustration and helplessness. Would it be worth the $20 to them today to NOT have this worldwide exposure? I suspect so. Will they think about providing helpful and polite customer service in the future?