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Amazon no longer sells print and Kindle magazines
You can no longer buy either print or Kindle Newsstand magazine and newspaper subscriptions from Amazon, as the company appears to implement yet another cost-cutting measure.
Scribd expands its subscription catalog with over 1,000 magazines
Scribd is expanding its magazine line-up.
Apple offers three-month News+ trials through Black Friday weekend
Apple Music has long had three-month free trials, but what if you want to give News+ a similar dry run? You can -- but only if you act quickly. Apple is offering a three-month trial to News+ to American and Canadian users who sign up through Black Friday weekend. That's much longer than the usual one month, and should give you a considerably better feel for what it's like to read magazines and newspapers on your Apple devices.
Microsoft is closing its long-running MSDN developer magazine
Microsoft will stop publishing its developer-focused MSDN Magazine this November, after a 19-year run. The magazine, which started out as two separate titles -- Microsoft Systems Journal and Microsoft Internet Developer -- was first printed in 2000, with an issue devoted entirely to the Windows operating environment.
Why some tech companies are turning to print
A month ago, I received a big, hefty magazine in the mail. It included stories such as a guide on where to go in Buenos Aires, a feature on tiny houses, and a deep dive into the history of African-American jockeys. The magazine was part travel, part lifestyle and part interior design; which are all topics I gravitate toward. What's more, the stories were well-written, the photographs were beautiful and the graphic design was on point. There was just one weird thing about it: It was published by Airbnb.
Apple will shut down Texture's terrible Windows app
Apple bought Texture, the 'Netflix for magazines,' back in March as a clear bid to get in on an uncluttered media provider niche. The service gives subscribers unlimited access to a number of publications -- but now, you won't be able to use it on Windows devices. Without explanation, Apple informed users that the Texture app will be pulled from the Microsoft Store after June 30th. As of now, it will still be available for Android, Amazon Fire, and iOS.
Apple may add subscriptions to its News app
Apple is apparently putting its Texture purchase to use to build a subscription-based news service. Bloomberg reports that the electronics juggernaut is looking to make some changes to the way Apple News operates and that the new premium offering should launch sometime within the next year. A cut of subscription revenue will go to magazine publishers, of course. Texture's quasi-Netflix approach to reading offered all-you-can-eat magazines for $10 a month.
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.
Time's struggle to adapt to digital brings it near a sale (update: official)
Time Inc. hasn't had the easiest time adapting to an online world: although its brands have been pushing boundaries in digital storytelling, it has made some questionable decisions (MySpace, anyone?) and is in the midst of an overhaul that could see it selling print publications as it focuses on the internet. And now, it appears ready to receive a lifeline in a bid to stay afloat. Reuters sources claim that Meredith, the publisher of Better Homes & Gardens and Family Circle, is close to a deal to buy Time for roughly $2 billion. The move would let Meredith boost its publishing chops while spinning out its broadcasting wing.
Google Home guides you through Vogue’s 125th anniversary issue
Google's partnerships with media companies for Home add-ons goes beyond advertisements for Beauty and the Beast. For next month's 125th anniversary issue of Vogue, readers can ask Google Assistant for more information on a quintet of articles. Once they do, the journalists who wrote them will share bits of interviews with Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Serena Williams and Oprah Winfrey that didn't make it to print. No, it isn't Spotify voice control, but at least it isn't an unprompted ad for a movie, either.
'W Magazine' shows how fashion is embracing augmented reality
The fashion world loves augmented reality. From Gap to Nike, brands are trying to find different ways to integrate the technology into their retail experience. Now W Magazine, one of the most prominent fashion publications, is treading a similar path with a new AR-powered issue. Done in partnership with The Mill, a visual effects production studio, the magazine's Sept. 2017 Collector's Issue features an interactive, computer-generated image of Katy Perry on the cover. At first glance, it seems like a traditional magazine, but that changes when parts of it come to life when viewed through the lens of a smartphone or tablet. For W Magazine, it's about using tech to keep its print publication modern.
RedTube, which helped kill porn mags, launches a porn mag
Last year, Playboy Magazine announced that it would stop printing fully-nude pictures because, hey, the internet exists. But, one of the outfits that caused Playboy to abandon such imagery is now launching a competing publication in the real world. RedTube Magazine has been described by its founders as a "men's general lifestyle monthly with a photo-heavy emphasis on explicit sexual content." The company also explains that the new venture will serve as a bridge between the jazz magazines of the 20th century and whatever the hell you can get on Google if you disable SafeSearch.
National Geographic won't 'cheat' with digital photos
There's been a backlash against digitally manipulated photos in the media, and frequently for good reasons: heavily edited shots set unrealistic expectations at best, and are outright misleading at worst. And National Geographic is no exception to this truth-in-pictures trend, apparently. The magazine has published a piece both promising "honest" shots and explaining how it screens for Photoshop trickery. It insists that photographers (both pros and Your Shot amateurs) hand over RAW files when possible, and will question anyone who doesn't have those files on hand. This isn't just a theoretical exercise, either -- Nat Geo says there have been times when it rejected images.
Penthouse drops print magazines to deal with internet porn (updated)
Internet porn just claimed another casualty. Penthouse has announced that it's dropping its print magazine after 51 years of publication -- from an unspecified point in the future, you'll have to go online to get those articles and racy photos (okay, mostly the photos). There will be a transition period, if you're not yet ready to ditch paper. Also, the move will see the magazine close its New York City offices and move into the Los Angeles location of its parent company, FriendFinder Networks.
UK lads mags FHM and Zoo to disappear from shelves
For many young men growing up in the nineties and early noughties, FHM and Zoo were the very definition of "lad culture." Bedroom walls across Britain used to be filled with blu-tacked pages of scantily-clad models, but with sales dwindling, the time of the lads magazine is coming to an end. Bauer Media, owner of both brands, said today that the two men's properties will cease publication at the end of the year.
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.
Flipboard users can upvote their way to a better home feed
Flipboard gives you lots of different ways to find interesting reads. You can choose specific topics, publications, users and magazines, all of which contribute to your main "Cover Stories" feed. The problem is that when you see something you don't like, it's hard to remove it without unfollowing one of these broader sources completely. To solve the problem, Flipboard is introducing a "fine-tune" option that lets you give any article a thumbs up or thumbs down. Depending on your feedback, Flipboard will automatically reduce or increase similar stories in your home feed. Better yet, your feedback will trigger a list of topics that Flipboard thinks are relevant to the article, giving you further control. You can also mute the publication entirely if you're not happy with their editorial style.
Rolling Stone archives hit Google Play Newsstand this week
Have you ever felt the need to dive into the history of music, movies and other pop culture? Well, you'll soon be able to do so with the help of Rolling Stone and Google Play Newsstand. The magazine is set to add its archive of decade-spanning content to the digital repository tomorrow, and some of it will be available free of charge. Three to four articles from each of the back issues can be read inside the app or on the Rolling Stone site at no cost. Later on, the plan is to bolster relevant content with the addition of sound and video. The magazine claims its archived issues do quite well, especially during certain events, and this gives readers another way to access it. For Google, the partnership shows off its reading platform with material from a popular weekly publication, which sounds like a win-win to me.
Nintendo UK launches digital magazine, Nintendo Extra
Nintendo fans in the UK may have lost their ability to peruse Nintendo-related news and features via the printed page when the Official Nintendo Magazine shut down last month, but now there's a digital magazine to take its place. Dubbed "Nintendo Extra," this new branch of the Nintendo UK site features articles based on several key company franchises, including Pokemon, Mario Kart, Pikmin and The Legend of Zelda. Before you get too carried away however, most of the content included in this first issue of Nintendo Extra is quite short, and few articles amount to more than advertisements for their respective game. There is some noteworthy content however, including tips on getting the best time in Mario Kart 8 and an interview with Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma (though the questions - such as "Who are Link and Zelda?" - aren't exactly what you'd call "hard-hitting"). So maybe "digital magazine" isn't quite the way to describe Nintendo Extra - perhaps "digital pamphlet" or "brochure" might be better. But hey, a digital whatever-it-is is better than nothing, right? [Image: Nintendo]
Flipboard is ready to annoy you with video ads
You may see Flipboard's reading app as an oasis from an internet full of video services like YouTube, but it appears that you can't quite escape those moving pictures. The magazine-like service is now rolling out full-page video ads in a pilot program; browse through major sections (such as News or Entertainment) starting today and you'll see promo clips from the likes of Chrysler and Sony Pictures. If all goes according to plan, the pilot should expand on November 1st. It's hard to cheer the arrival of more elaborate sales pitches, but look at this way: none of the ads will auto-play, so you won't have to endure movie trailers and recycled TV commercials while you're catching up on the day's events.
