Popular Science shows iOS 5 Newsstand's boost to readership
updated 10:05 am EST, Fri December 23, 2011
Mag Plus illustrates iOS 5 effect on subscriptions
Bonnier's tablet-focused spinoff Mag+ has provided an update showing more concrete signs of the iOS 5 Newsstand effect on tablet magazine adoption. Data handed to AllThingsD revealed that, as soon as iOS 5 was released, Popular Science added over 4,000 new subscribers. Growth in the weeks since has also been much faster, taking it from nearly 28,300 readers to over 40,700.
While still well behind paper readership, it illustrates the effect of making magazines and other periodicals top priorities in iOS 5. Newsstand both makes it clearer that these apps are available and also eliminates the trouble of having to manually download every new issue as it appears.
Tablet magazines still face multiple hurdles, including prices that are often higher than for the actual print editions. Most are also large downloads that limit the number a reader can have. Android tablets don't need a special section for background downloads, but are known to have much lower subscription rates through smaller device share and a lack of exposure.
