But since last year things have started to change. The improved quality of online journalism and the decline in the magazine industry forced them to reconsider. And boy did it work.
Re-imagining The Magazine
The A4 size pages did not work with the 10 inch iPad or the 8 inch iPad mini. Magazines had to go the same way web did – Responsive. Magazines now work as a collection of stories, more like a novel filled with chapters unlike a traditional magazine with half-paged articles, two-page images, etc. The content is not only scalable but also interactive. You’ll find animation, pop up boxes videos spread around Wired and PC Magazine and they do make the experience better. As the magazines are now responsive, they work great not only on the iPad but on the iPhone as well. However, in the following list some magazines are iPad only, as stated accordingly. The list includes both free and paid top tech magazines for the iPad.
Why Read a Magazine on Your iPad?
Yes, publishing for the web is really easy and cheap and free for readers. But if you are a sucker for well researched, informative and entertaining piece of literature, you’ll appreciate the intuitive interface that these magazines bring along on the iPad, with their amazing content.
1. The Magazine
I personally like to think that The Magazine was the one that started the magazine revolution. It was founded by Marco Arment, the founder of Instapaper. So it’s natural that the same principles of minimalism and simplicity made its way through here. The Magazine doesn’t look anything like any other magazine out there. It started out as a tech magazine but over time it spread across other genres as well. You get 5 stories every two weeks and the focus here is on the words. The stories are incredibly detailed and informative and as The Magazine is not bogged down by heavy animations and images, the download takes mere seconds!
2. Wired Magazine
If you grew up in the 90s of even the 2000s, you can relate to Wired. And now the iconic magazine has made it to the screen. Wired (iPad only), brings you the best in class editorials, breaking news and cover stories. It is also filled with animations and interactive media. Plus you also get exclusive content not available on the website or for print subscribers. If you are a tech enthusiast who like staying abreast with cutting edge innovation, then Wired is a must-read.
3. PC Magazine
This is the holy grail for PC enthusiasts. PC Magazine (iPad only) covers everything you need to know about PC, be it the latest graphics card you can’t afford to buy or the best hardware you actually can. From software to hardware PC Magazine has you covered.
4. Shift by TNW
Shift (iPad only) is the magazine from the wonderful folks behind TheNextWeb. And there is only one way to describe it: Gorgeous. It’s one of the first magazines to be built using the new Prss platform. The animations, type, the colors and high quality images make reading Shift a joyful experience. Shift is still in the early stages of development with only two issues out, if you want to see more of them, do lend them your support.
5. The Loop
The Loop 2.0 is the The Magazine’s pretty sister. The core UI is the same, a series of in-depth tech related articles every two weeks with focus on content. But the use of vibrant colours, the parallax effect on the cover image make it a fun experience.
6. Appliness
Appliness is a free magazine for web developers. It is a bit more focused on the looks and style but the content is still great. When you open up the issue all you get are little arrows as hits for navigation. Swipe left-right to switch between stories and up-down to scroll through them. It’s simple and it works.
7. Edge
Edge is a magazine geared towards the gamers. Just like the website, it offers a high quality, in-depth look into the world of gaming. Edge brings you a lot of features exclusively for the iPad, like videos, a high quality screenshot gallery a custom interactive sidebar to quickly jump through content and some hidden content as well. If you are a gamer, downloading Edge is a no brainer. They are even offering their latest fully interactive issue on the iPad with a 1-month trial subscription.
8. Popular Science
Popular Science (iPad Only) brings all the science geekyness to the iPad screen. No matter how old you are, you can never stop learning science. If you are a fan of the mystical world of science, Popular Science+ is a must read.
9. net Magazine
net Magazine is the ultimate resource for all things web. If you want to keep up with the latest developments in web technologies, know about future trends or learn new things, .net is the magazine to read.
10. Macworld
Macworld (iPad Only) is the premiere Mac publication. Famous for its Mac World conference, the magazine is filled with all sorts of information a Mac enthusiast might need to stay ahead of the curve.
Your Take?
Have your own favorite iPad magazine? Did we miss it in the list above? Share it in the comments. We’d love to discover new and interesting magazines for the iPad.
