Are Magazines on the Same Path as Books?
I was thinking a lot recently about how current technology is pretty much swallowing up many of the physical ways in which we do stuff. In recent years electronic companies have been developing tablet computers which allow users to access information, complete tasks and get entertainment on the move. The first physical state to sink was books, companies such as Borders collapsed due to people now being able to access hundreds, if not thousands of books whilst on the go. This has come through the form of Amazon's Kindle and Kindle applications as well as iBookstore. This is just to name two different ways to access electronic books on the move. There are many more floating around.
In switching completely, before I get straight onto topic, a developing theme that seems to be emerging within technology is online shopping and there are quite a few companies that now offer these services which may include delivery. This started many, many years ago but is still being adopted fairly slowly. This could eventually see the demise of supermarkets, at least in their current physical form. This could then see them replaced with warehouses instead. A new way that this is being shown is through QR codes on a printed shelf currently seen in some subways in Japan. I find this to be a pretty neat idea.
so to return to the topic here, could it be considered that magazines and newspapers are on the same path as traditional books are following? There will always be people who prefer the physical feel of a newspaper or magazine, which may keep this old format going on for quite a few more years, although many people are looking into this new method. There are many reasons why people would look into this new method. This includes such things as costing and not needing to physically dispose of the magazine/newspaper. This will also help with environmental concerns, less printing required. I have owned a tablet for just over a year now but its only recently that I decided against ever purchasing a physical newspaper or magazine again. I would not call myself an environmentalist but i do try and avoid as much as physically possible, the mass use of paper. I often see printing as a dead technology now because everything can be accessed everywhere through cloud technology and email. Printing is just not needed anymore. I am not a massive fan of magazines either, I tend to read magazines every now and then but most of my news and information comes from online content. There have often been times when something in a magazine catches my eye and only then would I make the purchase. This will not really change to be honest but now in a different capacity.
There are different ways of accessing magazines and newspapers on the move for example the native newsstand within iOS which I actually use to subscribe to Maclife. This does cut the costs down massively because it would cost be about £6.00 to purchase in store whereas I am only paying £0.59 for it. The application I most use though is called Zinio. This application is free for both iOS and Android devices and the magazines generally cost less than in store. A few days ago an article in Macworld caught my eye and I wanted to purchase the magazine but instead of purchasing it in store, I went through Zinio and downloaded it to my iPad. The magazine cost me only £2.99 through Zinio whereas it would have put me back £6.00 in store. I also picked up TAP Magazine recently, again for £2.99 rather than the £5.00 that I would usually pay.
I feel that this method is convenient because I still have access to all my purchased magazines while moving around without the massive bulk that I usually would have. I can certainly see this catching on especially for those using the train or buses to get to/from work or other places. In these circumstances you just fit your tablet in your bag and go wherever and access them whenever.
Marc Evans May 1, 2012 at 5:45 AM in Technology tagged Amazon kindle 4, Zinio, iBooks, magazines