Magazines Struggling on Apple iPad: Are we Surprised?

By Ian Bell May 18, 2010

When Apple demoed the iPad to its corporate contacts in the publishing world, they were thrilled. Unlike e-book readers before it, the Apple iPad had a large LCD screen, capable of displaying a book or magazine in glorious color.

Many publishers jumped at the opportunity to make apps for the platform and sell content via app updates. Unfortunately they have found that despite there now being well over 1 million iPads in the wild, owners appear to have relatively little interest in reading magazines, thus far.

Gentleman’s Quarterly, one of the most popular men’s fashion and health magazines, debuted an app in the iTunes App Store some time ago, priced at $2.99. The app came with one free issue of the magazine and offered future issues priced at $1.99.

According to GQ VP/Publisher Pete Hunsinger, in an interview with MinOnline, the app has only sold 365 copies (for a total of $1,091.35 in sales) on the iPad. Still Hunsinger remains optimistic, insisting that the iPad app costs his company “nothing”. He comments, “This costs us nothing extra: no printing or postage. Everything is profit, and I look forward to the time when iPad issue sales become a major component to our circulation.”

The first issue was a reprint of the December 2009 “Best Dressed Men” issue and featured Jake Gyllenhaal staring out from the cover. GQ hopes that the June issue which features the sultry Miranda Kerr (Victoria’s Secret Model and Orlando Bloom’s girlfriend) on the cover will do slightly better.

GQ publisher Condé Nast is unfazed by the poor sales and will also soon be debuting Glamour, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Wired magazines on the iPad.

Check out our Apple iPad Review

Video: Apple iPad versus Amazon Kindle

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Publisher

I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?

Mobile

How to transfer photos from an iPhone to a computer

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus's gallery app.

As the old saying goes, the best camera is the one you always have with you. If you're like most iPhone users, that means you've likely amassed a sizeable collection of photos on your device. However, while Apple's Photos app is a great way to manage and view your photo library, it's never a good idea to keep all your eggs in one basket. After all, suffering a lost or broken iPhone is painful enough without also losing all your precious digital memories in the process.

Even if you're backing up your iPhone to iCloud or your computer, it's a good idea to keep your photos backed up separately. After all, opening a folder or a photo management app is a much easier way to get at your photos than trying to extract them from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup, which requires either restoring them to another iPhone or relying on special software tools.

Mobile

No, we weren’t expecting this with the revamped iPad Pro

The refreshed iPad Pro that’s expected to be unveiled during a special online event on May 7 could come with Apple’s M4 chip, prominent Apple tipster Mark Gurman claimed in the latest edition of his tech-focused Power On newsletter, which he shared on Sunday.

The news comes as a big surprise as everyone had been expecting a routine upgrade to Apple’s current silicon, the M3, from the existing iPad Pro's M2 chip.

Computing

Best Apple deals: Save on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook

Apple MacBook Air M1 open, on a table.

Apple has been a big player in the tech space for a long time, and it has pioneered some of the technology we use today, such as best wireless earbuds and the best smartwatches. If that wasn't enough, it even makes some of the best best laptops and best tablets on the market, so pretty much whatever tech you're looking for, Apple has an excellent version of it. Not only that, but Apple's ecosystem is also easily one of the best available, with only Samsung really competing in that space, and if you're already in the Apple ecosystem, then it makes sense to continue buying stuff from Apple.

Of course, Apple tech can be quite pricey, which is why we've gone out and searched through various big retailers to find you some of the best deals we can find. That includes everything from the MacBook to the AirTag, so hopefully, you can find the perfect deal that fits your needs and budget.
Apple AirTag (4-Pack) -- $80, was $99