

An analysis of "The Magazine" - dko
http://andycroll.com/2012/10/12/on-the-magazine/

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benguild
I'm pretty "ho-hum" about it. Personally, between Hacker News and Reddit, I've
already got enough stuff to keep me busy. I don't really do any serious
reading on my iPhone except for Twitter since that's about all my attention
span can last on a small screen. (short sentences … also reddit) — Plus, it's
casual. Meant to be something I can skim.

Therefore, I'm not sure this is for me. Nor, if I'll ever have a Newstand App
there or any other news app. I've had books loaded on my iPhone for forever
that I've been meaning to read but haven't touched. Even my iPad was an
uncomfortable reading experience beyond the "cool" factor. I did enjoy
Flipboard, but only because it was that kind of micro-attention-span nurturing
thing that smartphones cater to with Apps and stuff.

Will this App cater to my short attention span? For $1.99/month, I'd feel
pressed to "overenjoy" it to get my money's worth. But, it's just not what I
particularly care about when I'm on my mobile device. The web would be better
for this, where I'm literally trying to chill out and catch up with focus on a
larger screen.

~~~
andycroll
I've looked on both iPad & iPhone, and it's a much better reading experience
on the bigger device for these magazine-length pieces. Much like Instapaper in
that respect.

I can't get any serious reading of any length done on my phone either.

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blaines
I'm disappointed it's iOS only (I don't see a web version) and that it only
supports iOS 6. This basically means I need a new iPad to use this, and my
iPad still works just fine.

Because of this I cannot post any useful feedback regarding the content.

~~~
johns
The authors can post their content wherever they want after 30 days of
exclusivity in The Magazine. So you'll probably see most of it turn up outside
of iOS.

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chj
I don't get it. This type of app is extremely fit for web. Tying to a single
platform doesn't really make sense.

~~~
ghshephard
The iPad/iOS match this precisely. People who own iPads have demonstrated they
are willing to pay for content. The App is beautiful - it pulls you into
focussing 100% on the content in front of you, unlike a web browser with it's
endless diversions to the left and right.

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Jare
Web browsers do not have diversions, badly designed web sites do. The articles
in The Magazine are simple HTML and a clean CSS. If you go to the web site and
read the foreword, it looks exactly like the app.

The only reason I can imagine, and mind you it is a BIG reason, to make The
Magazine an app is the business model.

~~~
ghshephard
I don't know about your screen - but mine has 20+ bookmarks, 10+ open tabs,
and (currently) about six different applications visible on my screen. 5
seconds ago I was on a Tab looking at the Presidential Debates before I came
over to HN - 5 seconds from now I"ll be on OmniFocus, which is visible 2" to
the right of the browser screen.

I read the web on my laptop, differently than I consume content iPad. When I
read "The Magazine" it launched the App, and it took over 100% of my iPad
experience, and I spent the next 20 minutes reading through the four
(excellent) articles, completely free of distraction.

I'm willing to pay $2 for 8, carefully curated, selected, edited, and written
articles from Marco Arment, presented to me on my iPad.

Those 4 articles, on Life/Love/Technology, on Volatiles vs Stables, and the
impact on how to manage engineering companies, on the concept of "Voice" and
the linkBlob/Fireball format, and the schism in Geeks who Love Sports, and
those who don't and really, what is the central essence of being a Geek - are
timeless, and I'm confident I'll re-read in months to come.

Finally - I love the idea of finding an outlet to sponsor those who contribute
so much of the great content that I consume, in this structured way. I hope
"The Magazine" is very successful, and provides an income for those who write
such great material.

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mlchild
The more I've used Instapaper, the more I'm convinced that the version on the
iPad (especially retina) is the best reading experience out there, period. And
as a huge supporter of long-form journalism and technology lover, this is a
dream come true. Hope it pays off for Marco.

~~~
snogglethorpe
"Best reading experience out there" or "Best reading experience out there once
you add in all the various extraneous factors such as large libraries at hand,
instant download, etc"?

I think the former award still goes to ink-on-paper†, pretty decisively, but
the latter is a bit more complicated...

† Given a nice format of course; my favorite is Japanese "bunko" (文庫)

~~~
mlchild
Yeah, I totally deserved to get called on that exaggeration. Your point passed
through my mind as I was writing but I was in a swashbuckling mood and decided
to go with it.

Let me make amends—"best reading experience utilizing pixels on a backlit
screen." Apropos?

~~~
Tyrannosaurs
From the perspective of your eyes that's true, from the perspective of your
body that has to hold the device and get comfortable and the overall resulting
experience, I'd say that the Kindle (or similar eBook reader) wins for me.

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cpr
Does anyone else feel that the content is awfully lightweight? More like brief
(if well-crafted) blog entries than magazine stories.

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jolohaga
A seven day trial period is too short.

