MacDailyNews Note: 24,000*$4.99=$119.760.
Abell reports, “Wired magazine sells about 82,000 single copies on newsstands every month and has about 672,000 subscribers.”
Abell reports, “The real test for Wired magazine (and everyone else) will be to continue to meet high reader expectations once any novelty aspect wears off, and to come up with a subscription model as quickly as possible.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As long as they understand that it’s unsustainable at that price (try $2.99 per issue, at the very most, and also a reasonable annual subscription rate), congrats to Wired!
Just bought a 12 month subscription to motor trend on the zinio app for $7.50. Experience is great and I have one app for all my magazines. Why WIRED isn’t using Zinio is beyond me.
Way too expensive. $1.99 or $.99 and I’d buy one.
$1.99 an issue or $12 a year.
I think d num. Is 119,000.00+
@macslut
You are right of course that the static nature of print can easily be improved upon on an iPad. Imagine, however, a workflow in which multiple forms of media can be assigned to a container (e.g. tiff * m4p) with automated final export press-ready PDF and iOS app each utilizing the media assets assigned to them. As I’ve said, I don’t know what Wired used on their app, but they clearly stated that it was derived from the print work product. This opportunity is very exciting.
@C1
Most publications that offer both print and digital editions usually see only a small fraction of their readership opting for digital. For that reason there has been little adoption of sophisticated interactive advertising in digital pubs. This is going to change with the iPad and app versions of rich publications. Since the mid-90s there has been a steady erosion in the investment in B2B publications—the time scale of internet, along with electronic vs snail mail delivery channels have been totally disruptive to advertising supported publications, primarily for the reason you gave: people want to follow up interesting ad messages on the web, and you can’t impulse click a print ad.
We may be on the cusp of a Renaissance in advertising supported magazine publishing. (FYI-these types of magazines are FREE to qualified subscribers, and would expect digital subscriptions to be free as well). Web sites and newsletters have never been very gratifying when trying to establish a brand and convey complex technical positions. I can’t wait to wild canvas we are going to have to create in with these app-mags. !!!
I also will not pay more for a magazine on the iPad than the newsstand.
So, expensive. It’s not worth the money.
I prefer some free app, free game,,free,,,,and more.If you’re shelling out at least $500 for Apple’s latest touch-screen toy, you’re going to want it to do more than just read e-books and watching the paltry selection of HTML5 videos on YouTube. You are going to want it to be able to play games. such as, “Top 10 Best Free iPad Apps”, “Featured Free iPad Games”, “Free iPad Wallpapers ” and more.
http://www.ifunia.com/ipad-column/index.html
The free source can make the device more fun..
The ADvantage that will soon be realized in the digital format is how long the ads work. In a typical magazine, you may leave it lying around for a week or month till the next issue, but you can have all your subscriptions (eventually) on your iPad to view over or let others read time and again.
For a photo, music, history or literature buff, some magazines can be as good in substance as a book. I have years of Bass Player that I used to schlep through to recall an exercise or rif. Same for Smithsonian and National Geo, they don’t really age like current events or technology mags. Heck, I even get off on reading old Playboys….(er, wait, I mean…)
The links on my Zinio magazines still work from a 3 year old Macworld (with a review of VMware Fusion 1.0! And yes, the link goes to the current 3.0)
So it may take a little time for the tipping point of realization to come around, but I think the rich media (no pun intended) of iPads and IAds will help print ‘come of age’ and get advertising back in gear.
Or maybe not…
Zinio
Sporting News Today 35-45 pages
Available at 7 am every day
$2.99/30 issues/365 issues a year/10 cents each
Everyone seems to ignore that 24,000 quote was for the first 24 hours of sale. They probably can’t sustain that rate at that price, but drop it to $.99, and it could be a much more substantial number, and be sustained, . . . and that is the number they could present to advertisers as the circulation. Ad revenues rise as circulation rises.
A prime “example.” (MDN word)
Bought this issue. That’s it til the price falls to $25/yr.
Wired’s own press release touted their new efficiencies in being able to produce the paper and digital issues in the same workflow.
If they were truly forward-thinking, they would have been totally transparent regarding what they’re able to save because of the benefits of digital distribution. Next step would be to tell us they’re gonna pass along 70%
of that savings and apply that to their current print subscription rates. I think they’re entitled to mkle a fair amount for this new venture.
But, $5 an issue is just ludicrous. Wanna charge that? Cut the ads in half.
Why would any one buy the App if you can just visit their website?
Sure are lots of arm-chair marketing, publishing, and advertising specialists willing to pontificate ’round these parts.
$4.99, $2.99, 99¢ whatever are just arbitrary numbers being tossed about that have absolutely nothing to do with production costs, etc. Wired has started at $4.99 to try to understand the demand curve of this new paradigm. It’s obviously reasonable to 24,000 people. It’ll be interesting to see where it leads.
Hm…
Way to pontificate.
@ TowerTone
Not only can I pontificate on demand, but exfoliate, too. And all while imbrogliating with the best!
@Karlv
“Why would any one buy the App if you can just visit their website?”
Either you haven’t seen the App, or visited the website. Certainly not both.
It is insane to expect customers to pay the same price for downloaded media as they used to pay for books and magazines that had to be printed, shipped, warehoused and distributed prior to sale. This is what is called “highway robbery”, and I hope consumers refuse to play this stupid game. There was a time when the retail cost of goods was based on a fair return on investment rather than today’s greed-driven “whatever the market will bear” philosophy. Personally, I will not pay one penny for over-priced electronic media.
Hm…
And still chew gum?
(I’d have to see that…)
@ TowerTone
Nah – can’t chew gum along with the other stuff. But now cud, that I can manage.