I'm pretty "ho-hum" about it.
Personally, between Hacker News and Reddit, I've already got enough stuff to keep me busy. I don't really do any serious reading on my iPhone except for Twitter since that's about all my attention span can last on a small screen. (short sentences … also reddit) — Plus, it's casual. Meant to be something I can skim.
Therefore, I'm not sure this is for me. Nor, if I'll ever have a Newstand App there or any other news app. I've had books loaded on my iPhone for forever that I've been meaning to read but haven't touched. Even my iPad was an uncomfortable reading experience beyond the "cool" factor. I did enjoy Flipboard, but only because it was that kind of micro-attention-span nurturing thing that smartphones cater to with Apps and stuff.
Will this App cater to my short attention span? For $1.99/month, I'd feel pressed to "overenjoy" it to get my money's worth. But, it's just not what I particularly care about when I'm on my mobile device. The web would be better for this, where I'm literally trying to chill out and catch up with focus on a larger screen.
I've looked on both iPad & iPhone, and it's a much better reading experience on the bigger device for these magazine-length pieces. Much like Instapaper in that respect.
I can't get any serious reading of any length done on my phone either.
I'm disappointed it's iOS only (I don't see a web version) and that it only supports iOS 6. This basically means I need a new iPad to use this, and my iPad still works just fine.
Because of this I cannot post any useful feedback regarding the content.
The authors can post their content wherever they want after 30 days of exclusivity in The Magazine. So you'll probably see most of it turn up outside of iOS.
People have said things like that to me about my e-mail newsletters (example: http://javascriptweekly.com/). I eventually caved and added RSS but hardly anyone uses that. The fact is, the medium does matter and people respond to different media in different ways.
For example, even though a lot of people say they'd rather learn from written articles, you can sell a bunch of videos in a set for $249 in a way that the equivalent set of articles would not sell.
Likewise, there have been experiments with selling free Web content on the Kindle for a few bucks.. and it sells like hotcakes despite being free on the Web. These are interesting times and it's worth going with what people are doing rather than what people are saying they want. (Though while always experimenting and ensuring you don't ignore your audience.)
Tying it to one platform only "doesn't make sense" in a generic and irrelevant pseudo-strategic sense. The reality is that "The Magazine" is one dude making something neat in the time he's not spending on his multiple other business endeavors, applying the skills he's got and probing for market potential.
Plus the idea that you can do something this seamless and elegant on the web is horseshit. You can't subscribe to any web magazines in under ten seconds. (and if you could, odds are that they'd fill your inbox with spam.)
The iPad/iOS match this precisely. People who own iPads have demonstrated they are willing to pay for content. The App is beautiful - it pulls you into focussing 100% on the content in front of you, unlike a web browser with it's endless diversions to the left and right.
Web browsers do not have diversions, badly designed web sites do. The articles in The Magazine are simple HTML and a clean CSS. If you go to the web site and read the foreword, it looks exactly like the app.
The only reason I can imagine, and mind you it is a BIG reason, to make The Magazine an app is the business model.
I don't know about your screen - but mine has 20+ bookmarks, 10+ open tabs, and (currently) about six different applications visible on my screen. 5 seconds ago I was on a Tab looking at the Presidential Debates before I came over to HN - 5 seconds from now I"ll be on OmniFocus, which is visible 2" to the right of the browser screen.
I read the web on my laptop, differently than I consume content iPad. When I read "The Magazine" it launched the App, and it took over 100% of my iPad experience, and I spent the next 20 minutes reading through the four (excellent) articles, completely free of distraction.
I'm willing to pay $2 for 8, carefully curated, selected, edited, and written articles from Marco Arment, presented to me on my iPad.
Those 4 articles, on Life/Love/Technology, on Volatiles vs Stables, and the impact on how to manage engineering companies, on the concept of "Voice" and the linkBlob/Fireball format, and the schism in Geeks who Love Sports, and those who don't and really, what is the central essence of being a Geek - are timeless, and I'm confident I'll re-read in months to come.
Finally - I love the idea of finding an outlet to sponsor those who contribute so much of the great content that I consume, in this structured way. I hope "The Magazine" is very successful, and provides an income for those who write such great material.
He's said that it's possible that he'll move it to web at some point in the future.
I think people should view this as iOS first rather than iOS only. I think it's a pragmatic decision rather than some sort of "iOS or death" principal.
The more I've used Instapaper, the more I'm convinced that the version on the iPad (especially retina) is the best reading experience out there, period. And as a huge supporter of long-form journalism and technology lover, this is a dream come true. Hope it pays off for Marco.
"Best reading experience out there" or "Best reading experience out there once you add in all the various extraneous factors such as large libraries at hand, instant download, etc"?
I think the former award still goes to ink-on-paper†, pretty decisively, but the latter is a bit more complicated...
† Given a nice format of course; my favorite is Japanese "bunko" (文庫)
Matter of opinion but I'd rather read a book on my Kindle than on paper.
Much of that is down to the mechanics of page turning and the bulk which don't apply to all paper but while it has a lot going for it, the clear edge that paper once had is far more open to debate.
Yeah, I totally deserved to get called on that exaggeration. Your point passed through my mind as I was writing but I was in a swashbuckling mood and decided to go with it.
Let me make amends—"best reading experience utilizing pixels on a backlit screen." Apropos?
From the perspective of your eyes that's true, from the perspective of your body that has to hold the device and get comfortable and the overall resulting experience, I'd say that the Kindle (or similar eBook reader) wins for me.
Therefore, I'm not sure this is for me. Nor, if I'll ever have a Newstand App there or any other news app. I've had books loaded on my iPhone for forever that I've been meaning to read but haven't touched. Even my iPad was an uncomfortable reading experience beyond the "cool" factor. I did enjoy Flipboard, but only because it was that kind of micro-attention-span nurturing thing that smartphones cater to with Apps and stuff.
Will this App cater to my short attention span? For $1.99/month, I'd feel pressed to "overenjoy" it to get my money's worth. But, it's just not what I particularly care about when I'm on my mobile device. The web would be better for this, where I'm literally trying to chill out and catch up with focus on a larger screen.