Six iPad Magazines You Need to SeeBy Laura ZavelsonI believe the iPad is a game-changer for magazines. Not just because the form factor is well suited to how we currently conceive the magazine, but because it removes the boundary of the printed page. Each of the six iPad magazines listed here has taken steps to reinvent the medium. Check them out and be inspired by their creativity, their beauty, their intelligence and their willingness to take a risk.
FlipboardPublisher – Flipboard, Palo Alto, CAFree
Flipboard is not exactly a magazine in the traditional sense. It’s actually an iPad app with a bunch of technology under the hood that turns your friend and follow streams from Facebook and Twitter into something that looks remarkably magazine-like. In addition to being a really cool interface, it also makes your streams easier to follow. Whenever someone posts a link, the app imports the first part of the article as well as any associated images. So no more clicking on the mystery shortened link, you can see the first few paragraphs right away.For each story, you’re given the option to read the rest of any article on the web (without leaving the app) and also to like, share and retweet everything. In addition to your own feeds, you can set up sections that follow any person, list or blog from Twitter or with a single touch, follow a large number of feeds Flipboard has already set up.
TRVLPublisher – Picture Contact BV, The NetherlandsCreative Partner – PubliQuareTools – WoodwingFree
TRVL is an iPad only travel/photography magazine. Built around showcasing documentary-style images, it takes advantage of the iPad’s beautiful display capabilities. Each issue is dedicated to a single destination like Easter Island, Sri Lanka or Bonaire. The layout is primarily photos with descriptive captions, however each issue also includes a features a single story as well as a short technical piece on an aspect of photography that was used in the issue.
SidewaysPublisher – Sideways, LLC, Cleveland, OHTools – Sideways’ M3 Platform$3.99
Created specifically for the iPad, Sideways pushes the envelope of traditional magazine copy and design elements by enhancing them with all that digital technology and the tablet form factor have to offer. Features include interactive info-graphics, music reviews that let you sample and purchase the songs, slide shows, quizzes, and special topic sections that have their own navigation interface.Sideways is also a technology developer/creative house that produces digital publications and multi-media for clients so the magazine, like Zinio’s ViVmag, is also a showcase of what is possible. If you’re thinking of creating a digital magazine for the iPad, it’s a great inspiration publication. Each issue is currently a separate app download.
EurekaPublisher – Times Newspapers Ltd., London, U.K.Technical Partner – TigerSpikeTools – TigerSpike’s iPad Publishing Platform$.99
In print, Eureka is the weekly science supplement to The Times, U.K. However, this special edition, which took several months to produce, is a one-off and is intended to have a long shelf-life. While the file size is huge—it took about a half hour to download—it is absolutely a wow publication for the iPad. From it’s honeycomb diagram table of contents, to audio and video components to it’s sheer breadth in covering the topic “How Science is Changing the Human Race,” it’s a must-see. It proves once and and for all that not only is long-format journalism alive and well, but that it’s a match made in heaven for tablets.
Letter to JanePublisher – Tim Moore, Portland, OR$.99
Letter to Jane magazine stands out in that it’s one of the only–if not the only–independent zine available as a branded app for iPad. The publisher uses ISSUU for his online edition, but I’m unclear what tools he used to get on the iPad. ISSUU doesn’t offer a native app service at the moment and the author was unavailable for an interview prior to this article’s publication. The magazine takes an artistic and intellectual approach to culture through photographs and interviews, and is a testament to the kind of creative voices that will be able to end-run the publishing/advertising monolith if we can make iPad publishing financially accessible.
LOVEPublisher – Conde Nast, UKTools – Adobe Digital Publishing SuiteFree
LOVE magazine comes out twice a year and is a self-described “compendium of inspiration – for designers, for artists, for anyone looking for visual ideas.” It’s glossy print version is luxury focused and high-end without a doubt. The iPad version is yet-another huge file, taking about 20 minutes to download. The reason it’s so big is that it’s completely video-based. Rather than being an augmented version of the print edition it’s a supplement–it’s completely separate content and yet 100 percent in line with the brand. The iPad edition is comprised of 14 short-films made by top fashion photographers featuring well-known models sporting designer clothing and accessories and set to popular music.For continuing insight and analysis of the digital magazine industry sign up for the weekly Digital Magazine Publishing newsletter and follow @digimags101 on Twitter.