iPad hype building
By Richard Thurmond
(c) Apple
Will the iPad revolutionize magazines?
So hype about how Apple's iPad device will transform magazines -- or rather, how magazines will transform themselves for the iPad -- is starting to build. At a recent conference, WIRED magazine offered a demo of an iPad version of the magazine, shown in the video below. It's like a better, richer website -- edit and ads. And if you work in this business, that last part is important. But what do you think? Assuming for a moment that you owned the device, would you pay for an iPad version of your favorite magazine? If so, how much? $1 a month? $5 a month?
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Richard Thurmond is editor and associate publisher of Charlotte magazine and its four sister publications. He started his journalism career as a sportswriter before he realized sportswriting = bad hours and low pay. Oh well. He's been on staff since 1995 and editor since 1999. Also, he thinks he is funnier than he really is, which is helpful information for reading this blog. Got something to say but too chicken to comment? 
Reader Comments:
Follow up on my Tweet from last night: I can't say what my price point would be for magazines or newspapers yet, but I would definitely be interested in, and would access, more periodicals than I get via mail now (which includes Charlotte Mag).
Would Charlotte Mag still publish monthly? Or as new articles are finished and push that out? Combination?
On a monthly basis, I would pay a premium over the hard copy if the layout was clean and truly added more information.
If you published more frequently, than I would want some choices for paying. I like the idea of X amount of articles at a set price and a per article charge above that. If you had a particular reporter, or recurring feature I liked it would be interesting to be able to have a mini-sub to that. $20 to get all of Joe Public's reporting for you for a year. Or $50 to get restaurant reviews, especially since those could now go even longer and more specific.
Once you get me in initially, offer me customized packages based on my reading patterns. This builds my loyalty to you because I feel like you're paying close attention to me as a customer and I would be more inclined to access your stories to find the information I'm looking for.
This creates more management for you, but should also give you more revenue per subscriber too. Win-win.
Back up.
Why do I have to both see your ads AND pay you a sub price? Pick one. I am in charge, not you. With Greasemonkey and NoScript, I see NO ads on the vast majority of sites -- unless I choose to.
Bottomline, mass market advertising is dead. It is opt-in or nothing. (You'll have to put all that in a monosyllabic form for your South Park subs/advertisers to understand. Possibly with pictures. And a pony. Or a Land Rover. Or diamonds. ThnxKBye)