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Apple buys Texture, the 'Netflix of magazine plans'
Apple's bids to promote digital magazines haven't always been fruitful (remember The Daily?), but it's about to give them another boost. The company has acquired Texture, the Netflix-style magazine subscription service that gives you access to a host of publications for a flat monthly fee. Apple wasn't specific about its intentions for the Texture team, but the deal reflects its commitment to "quality journalism from trusted sources." It also noted that the buyout gave it an "impressive catalog" of magazines -- the connection to major publishers (Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith and News Corp) may be as important as the service itself.
Next Issue, the Netflix for magazines, reborn with a fresh design and new name
For those who haven't heard of it, Next Issue is best described as the Netflix of magazines: It's an app that, for a monthly fee, gives you all-you-can-read access to a large library of digital magazines. It first launched on Android in 2012 and eventually made its way to the iPad and Windows devices, although it's been ages since it received any substantial updates. That changes today, however: The app is relaunching with a new look, new features and even a new name -- it's called "Texture" now, thank you very much.
Next Issue Media reaches Windows 8, puts subscriptions on your Surface (video)
Next Issue Media's unlimited magazine subscriptions have had a solid footing on Android tablets and iPads, but Windows tablet owners have faced the prospect of subscribing to one magazine at a time -- the horror. They can rest a little easier knowing that Next Issue's reader app is now available for Windows 8 in the US. The software makes the expected leap to the modern Windows UI, and goes the extra mile to use native tricks such as the optimized multitasking view and pinning favorite magazines to the Start screen. Readers will still need to pay a monthly rate of either $10 (for slower publications) or $15 (including weekly titles) to get full access; when the app itself is free to try for a month, though, it won't hurt to give Next Issue a spin on that Surface Pro.
Next Issue grows iPad library with addition of eight new magazine titles
Next Issue -- the service unofficially billed as the Netflix of digital magazines -- has just announced an expansion of its catalog, adding eight additional titles to its tablet-based offering. This recent inclusion of big names brings the company's impressive library to a total of 80 even, letting iPad users now peruse the likes of New York Magazine, Food & Wine and Men's Fitness, just to name a few. Pricing for both Unlimited subscription tiers remains unchanged, with $10/mo still netting users access to 73 monthly and bi-weekly titles, while the more premium $15/mo service opens up the entire archive. As of now, these new additions won't work on Android slates, but the company promises "work is underway" to make them available across the board. Hit up the break to check out the official release.
Next Issue offers all-you-can-read iPad magazine store
It's being called kind of a Netflix for magazines, and the description is apt. Five top U.S. publishers have gotten together to provide an iPad app that lets you read a great variety of magazines at a price of U.S. $9.99-$14.99 per month. The new company is called Next Issue and it's a rather bold idea. The publishers are Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp. and Time Inc. Magazines included in the 'Unlimited Basic plan' at $9.99 are All You, Allure, Better Homes and Gardens, Bon Appétit, Brides, Car and Driver, Coastal Living, Condé Nast Traveler, Cooking Light, ELLE, Esquire, Essence, Fitness, Fortune, Glamour, Golf, Golf Digest, GQ, Health, InStyle, Money, Parents, People en Español, People StyleWatch, Popular Mechanics, Real Simple, Self, Southern Living, Sports Illustrated Kids, Sunset, This Old House, Vanity Fair, Vogue and Wired. The Unlimited Premium plan, which is $14.99, has all the above titles plus weeklies and back issues of Entertainment Weekly, People, Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker and Time. More magazines will be added over time, and the company will no doubt try to interest other publishers to join in. "Customers will see their magazines come to life in spectacular fashion," said John Loughlin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Hearst Magazines. "Next Issue for iPad delivers an immersive and engaging experience, while the technology seems to disappear and get out of the way." The company says 30-day free trials are available for all subscription plans and print subscribers can add digital editions of the same titles for free or a nominal cost. If you want the free trial you can't do it from within the app. You must go to nextissue.com. You give them a credit card number, and if you don't cancel you'll start getting billed after your free month. Not my favorite way of doing a free trial, but there you are. I gave the app a try and signed up for the trial. There's a good selection of magazines, but more than half were of no interest to me. Even then, the pricing is pretty good and quite a bit below what I considered some of the extortionate pricing for electronic magazine subscriptions before Next Issue came on the scene. If you're a voracious reader, I think Next Issue is certainly worth the free trial, and kudos to the companies involved for trying something new and more reasonably priced.
Next Issue brings its all-you-can-read magazine store to the iPad, plans start at $10 a month
The last time we heard about Next Issue, the all-you-can-read magazine store was launching on Android, with an iOS version said to be coming soon. Three months later, the startup's made good on its promise: the storefront is now up and running on iOS, with an iPad app live in the US App Store. If you're not familiar with the way Next Issue works, it's angling to be the Netflix of digital magazines, with a monthly subscription getting you unfettered access to a library of 39 titles. In brief, the fees break down to $10 per month for all the monthly and bi-weekly mags, and $15 if you want all that plus access to tabloids and other weeklies. One last thing: the free app is just the magazine reader; you'll need to download the apps through Next Issue's browser-based store. Now, if you're wondering what sorts of magazines will be represented in that list of 40-some-odd titles, know that every bigwig in magazine publishing is on board: Conde Nast, Time, Hearst, Meredith and News Corp. That means the The New Yorker is included, as are Esquire, GQ, Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated and Popular Mechanics. In an interview, a company rep told us that Next Issue Media hopes to double the catalog by year's end, as well as ink deals with additional publishers. The biggest caveat, it seems, is that content providers have the prerogative to make a title available on one platform but not the other, so don't count on the iOS and Android apps offering identical selections. Feeling a bit tentative? The company is offering new customers a 30-day free trial, and we've also got not one, but four (yes, four) demo videos after the break.%Gallery-160005%
Next Issue Media launches on Android, $15 a month for access to 32 magazines
If you've taken issue with your usual choices for buying magazines on your tablet, be it pay-per-issue or per-subscription, you're not alone. If you'll recall, it was nearly a year ago that Next Issue Media launched the preliminary version of its "Hulu-meets-magazines" app on the Galaxy Tab, and it's finally ready to release this physical newsstand alternative officially. After raking in a slew of deals last November, its Android 3.0 app is now available -- users can fork over a monthly fee of $10 to access all of its monthly and bi-weekly content, while an extra five bucks adds in weekly content, essentially giving you access to every publication on offer. Singular subscriptions are also available for two to 10 bucks, and you'll currently have a choice of 32 mags from the likes of Car and Driver to The New Yorker. Interestingly, TechCrunch notes that NIM plans to get the app over to iOS "soon" -- it'll surely be interesting to see how it competes with Apple's own Newsstand. You'll find more info at the via links below, and you can flip over to the source for details about a 30-day trial offer.
