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Newsweek goes all-digital, will cease print publishing at end of 2012
Newsweek Magazine is almost 80 years old, but the print edition isn't going to get much older. The magazine's December 31 issue will be the final one in paper-and-ink format. After that, Newsweek will be all-digital and change its name to Newsweek Global. Newsweek Global will be available for reading in web browsers and on the iPad and other tablets. Newsweek merged with The Daily Beast in 2010, and some Newsweek content will appear on The Daily Beast website. Editor-in-Chief Tina Brown wrote: "Exiting print is an extremely difficult moment for all of us who love the romance of print and the unique weekly camaraderie of those hectic hours before the close on Friday night. But as we head for the 80th anniversary of Newsweek next year we must sustain the journalism that gives the magazine its purpose and embrace the all-digital future." For now, Time Magazine is the standard-bearer among the few major US news magazines still being printed (US News and World Report ceased print publication in 2011). Former Time Inc. interactive editor/NYT public editor Daniel Okrent told Columbia J-school students in 1999 that they would see the death of print in their professional lifetimes (in the process, describing an intriguing tablet-style reader device featuring finger-swipe page turns and "a cellular hookup to a satellite-connected database" for downloading new content); it looks like Okrent's forecast continues on target. Not everything is perfect on the digital publishing side either, however. E-newspaper The Daily, started by Rupert Murdoch last year, has seen a rocky birth, with iPad and other tablet editions available on a paid subscription basis. The toolsets for digital publishers are improving steadily, with Adobe, Mag+ and Aquafadas (among many others) providing comprehensive solutions. Newsweek already has an iPad app available, with in-app purchases for each issue.
Adobe upgrades its Digital Publishing Suite with iPhone viewer, improved social media features
Between rolling out Creative Suite 6, Creative Cloud and a new video platform for broadcasters, Adobe's been mighty busy lately. If that's not evidence enough that the outfit is making good on its promise to restructure around digital media, hear this: the company just announced a slew of enhancements to its Digital Publishing Suite (DPS), which Conde Nast and others use to format magazines for mobile devices. For starters, publishers now have a way to tailor content specifically for the iPhone, just as they can for the iPad, Kindle Fire and Android tablets. So far, we know Conde Nast will be using this tool to build a modified edition of The New Yorker, though Conde Nast hasn't announced when it will become available for download. Meanwhile, art departments used to working in InDesign can now take a single a layout and repurpose it across multiple devices. Similarly, DPS is now integrated with Adobe Edge, which means publishers can create HTML5 animations and then easily port them over to their digital editions. Moving on, SocialSharing is exactly what it sounds like: it promises to make it easier for people reading these magazines to share stories using built-in email, Twitter and Facebook functionality. Getting more granular, a new font rights policy means that once a publishing company buys rights to use a certain font, it won't have to pay additional per-usage fees every time someone downloads the app. Lastly, Adobe announced that Meredith, the company that brings you (yes, you) Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Fitness will also begin using the platform to create digital editions. Hold onto your britches, kids.
Condé Nast sees iPad subscription boom with Newsstand
One of the more unsung apps available on the iPad with iOS 5 is Newsstand, Apple's portal for newspapers and magazines. While many iPad users seem to be unaware of the app and its purpose, publisher Condé Nast is reporting that subscriptions for the digital editions of its titles have jumped 268 percent since Newsstand was released on October 12, 2011. Single copy sales are also seeing a boost with Newsstand, as the publisher noted a 142 percent gain over the previous eight week period. Condé Nast currently publishes Allure, Brides, Glamour, Self, GQ, Golf Digest, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Wired on the iPad, with Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, and Vogue expected to join the collection by the first part of 2012. This is great news for Newsstand and for publishers dabbling with electronic editions. Condé Nast reported last month that digital circulation of all of its titles had reached 500,000 readers, with 225,000 of those subscribers receiving the magazines only in digital format. Hearst, a competitor to Condé Nast in the magazine publishing field, reported last month that paid digital downloads of its titles had topped 300,000. Adobe has touted that their Digital Publishing Suite will soon provide support for Newsstand, so expect to see many more of your favorite magazines on the iPad soon.
