Next Issue Media preps Android newsstand, plans iPad soon
updated 09:40 pm EDT, Tue April 3, 2012
Next Issue generalizes tablet magazine stores
Next Issue Media has taken the next major step in its hopes of providing a publisher-neutral outlet by previewing its first native app. The Android title will provide a true native approach to reading magazines from Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, and Time. As with its existing strategy, the service is unique in having an optional, universal subscription: rather than paying by title, readers can pay $10 per month to get access to monthly magazines, or $15 for these plus weekly magazines like The New Yorker.
Readers can still subscribe individually or pay for individual issues.
Some limitations exist on the current app. It runs only on Android 3.x tablets and, like the web version, currently only hosts 32 titles, albeit mostly major titles like Car & Driver, Fortune, and Wired.
The Android app, and a redesigned web version, should be active on Wednesday. An iPad version is known to be near submission to Apple, although its exact timing isn't apparent. Next Issue will need to give Apple a 30 percent cut if subscriptions are offered from inside the app.
The move is a reaction to what Next Issue chief Morgan Guenther has likened to an excessive siloing effect. Both Android and iPad users normally have to download individual apps, which both reduces their exposure and gives them an entirely self-contained experience. As there's no one standard for magazine navigation, each one has its own instruction set, creating a sharp break between paper and digital. [via AllThingsD and TechCrunch]
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2003
A more pressing issue
For digital magazines and their publishers, in my opinion, is how they ALL seem to fail at recognizing user subscriptions when moving from one platform to the other. Say, for instance, you were a Zinio user before Apple's Newsstand happened. What do you do when you move, or want to move to Newsstand? Well, I've found out you have to actually pay an additional yearly subscription, or wait until your subscription from Zinio runs out. It is ridiculous.
Now this publisher is wanting to move into their own curated app - how is THAT going to work? Do you now have to pay them on the monthly for the yearly subscriptions of their magazines you already purchased through Newsstand and possible Zinio? It just a real mess right now. All of these magazines are linked to the same email address in my case. Shouldn't this be a no-brainer to figu... oh... wait... their making money.... forgot about that.