iPad Magazine App Sales Figures Fall Sharply

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The Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) blog reports today on figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations that show that sales of magazine apps on the iPad have fallen dramatically in recent weeks. WWD points to several examples, such as Vanity Fair, which only sold 8,700 digital editions of its November iPad app, which was a drop of several thousand from its average of 10,500 for August, September and October. Glamour also saw a drop of 20 percent in October, and a further 20 percent fall in November. GQ’s November iPad issue saw its worst sales figures since April, with 11,000 apps sold, down a couple of thousand from the May through to October average of 13,000. And it’s not just the fashion and lifestyle magazines that are feeling the pinch either, as WWD reports that following on from a massively successful first few months for Wired, when it sold on average 31,000 digital issues, it too saw a drop in sales down to 22,000 and 23,000 in October and November respectively. It’s hard to know exactly why so many different types of digital magazine have taken such a hit to their sales figures towards the end of the year, but WWD ends on an optimistic note, stating that many publishers are hoping that December and January figures will be soaring once again, with many people getting iPads over the holiday season.

Source: Memo Pad: iPad Magazine Sales Drop - Fashion Memopad - WWD.com

I'd wager that most of the initial sales were people sampling various magazines, rather than subscribers/regular readers moving to digital formats. I sampled Wired's first couple of digital issues, but haven't since - I don't normally read it. I'm still buying issues of those magazines I used to read in print.

I wish that I could get the magazines I subscribe to in digital format..that was another reason I got the iPad....thinking I could cut down on magazines in the mail but I guess not...runners world and triathlon magazine are the 2 I subscribe to.

I would imagine the cost for some of these magazines are also a concern. The range I've seen is anywhere from 1.99 a month to 12.99. To big a swing I would think. I do pay almost 40 dollars a season for Formula 1 but I also get everything happening in real time. I do hope they catch on though.

I agree that cost is the reason (for me anyway). I never pay more than six or so dollars for a year subscription to a print magazine so why is the electronic version which costs the publisher so much less so costly? I guess they think the novelty of reading on an iPad is worth it but to me, it's not. Also, I should be able to just specify I want an electronic version when subscribing.

P.S. I find subscribing via Zinio much much easier than buying issues one by one.

+1 to Zinio

Personally, I love buying and reading magazines on the iPad. Part of the reason is that I'm from Holland, and a lot of US and UK magazines are really expensive to buy in Dutch shops. Take Wired for example: I pay 14 euros for an issue in the shops, when I can buy it on my iPad for 3 euros. And thanks to things like Zinio, I can buy subscriptions to US magazines like Esquire for the price that I normally pay for a single issue.

Of course I'm a bit biased as well, since I make my own magazine for iPad. I've noticed how difficult it is to sell a magazine on the iPad, especially if your magazine is iPad exclusive and there is no print version available. And yes, my sales figures have also dropped off a bit from issue one to issue two, though I can only dream at the moment of selling 10.000 or even 20.000 copies ;)

I also enjoy magazines from around the world - which is a big plus. I am a Zinio user, and find the format wonderful. I wish MORE magazines would get on the stick and offer digital versions. My Nat Geo sub. is amazing - with video, etc.

One HUGE complaint I have with Zinio - without internet connectivity, I can't seem to read the bloody magazines. I have three subscriptions, and nary a one allows reading offline.

Give me my magazines, give them to me in a pdf, allow me to store and delete them at will. I'll survivie w/o video (thouth NG - I love your vids).