Sports Illustrated, Inc.

Maurice Edelson, EVP and a member of Time Inc.'s interim management committee, sees the explosion of tablet popularity as a opportunity for his company. "In the coming year, there will clearly be many more consumers using tablets, accelerating demand for content and driving advertiser interest. We are putting ourselves in a great position to take advantage of these opportunities." Print subscribers will have the option to add digital subscriptions at no cost. All the publications will be available on the iPad, Android tablets, and the HP Touchpad. A Time spokesperson told me that the company is following other publishers like Amazon and the Wall Street Journal and avoiding the high toll at the Apple app store. Other publishers like Hearst are selling magazines through the app store. Time says its digital magazines and related apps have been downloaded more than 11 million times. Read More

Among magazines, Sports Illustrated has emerged as a leader in the digital age. In addition to its print edition, the title has produced a tablet edition for the iPad every week since it debuted last June and more recently added to its roster weekly editions for Android and webOS tablets. Sports Illustrated also produces daily content for SI.com, highlights 10 sports photos every day on its Chrome web app, and offers more content on special cross-channel packages, including Swimsuit. The numbers support the digital push. Sports Illustrated‘s digital revenue was up 22% between 2009 and 2010, and it is on track for double-digit growth again this year, says Scott Novak, VP of communications at Sports Illustrated Group. Curious to know how and why the team could keep this pace, we visited editors, producers and operations managers as they put together a special double issue over a seven-day period. It became clear that Sports Illustrated has alighted upon the best model for a print magazine in the digital age, not only in terms of content and design (i.e. the product itself), but also in the way the publication has organized its staff and workflow to produce consistently top-tier products across multiple platforms. Here’s why. If you walk into the offices of almost any major print magazine, you’ll inevitably find a corner housing the so-called “digital department.” The staff there will be diligently putting together a website that is sometimes only loosely tied to the print title. These departments are byproducts of the early days of the Internet when publishers weren’t sure if a web edition had long-term potential. Magazine websites were treated like side projects rather than core parts of business and distribution strategies. The tablet edition usually ranks even lower on the priority scale. Having a separate — and sometimes marginalized — digital department often leads to a discrepancy between the quality of the print product and the web product. Fewer resources are allotted to digital, in part because digital advertising revenues are far less than print. This discrepancy is most apparent in women’s lifestyle magazines. Glamour and Lucky run thinly staffed, independent web operations that churn out upward of 50 pieces of original content per day. These are short, image-heavy pieces that have proven successful on the web. Both launched “blogger networks” earlier this year, an advertising play that allows the publications to sell ads across a network of content, Read More

The magazine industry’s current interest and investment in tablets beyond the iPad can be described as tentative at best. It’s not terribly surprising. Even by the most conservative of estimates, the iPad will make up the lion’s share of worldwide tablet sales for the next three to four years. Nearly seven of every ten tablets in consumers’ hands at year’s end will be iPads, Gartner forecasts. By comparison, Gartner estimates that Android will own 19.9% of the tablet market by the end of 2011, followed by QNX (5.6%, used by the BlackBerry PlayBook), webOS (4.0%, used by the HP TouchPad) and MeeGo (1.1%). Given early indications that the Android-based Motorola Xoom and Galaxy Tab are not selling well, that RIM has shipped — not sold — a mere 500,000 BlackBerry PlayBooks, and that HP’s webOS TouchPad tablet has garnered only lukewarm reviews, those numbers even strike us as a little ambitious. (Asus’s Android tablet appears to be selling well enough to compensate for the rest of the Android tablet category, however.) Despite evidence that sales of non-iOS tablets will not take off for the next few years, a number of news organizations have launched one-size-fits-all apps for Android tablets to complement their multi-platform, “all access” subscription offerings, and a few have even developed apps for RIM’s QNX platform and Palm’s webOS software. But very few magazine publishers have released full-fledged apps (by which we mean more than PDF-like copies sold through apps like Zinio) for the newer crop of tablets. Magazine apps typically require a substantial investment in terms of resources, as each edition must be formatted uniquely from its print counterpart rather than automatically refreshed from a feed. It’s for that reason that so many publishers previously waited to see if the iPad would make a sizable impression on the market before developing apps for the device, and why an even larger portion have not yet allocated resources for developing other tablet editions. (If you recall, more than a few publishers made similar mistakes waiting to see if the web was here to stay.) Many have opted instead to focus on and build out their iPad editions — that is, if they’re not still struggling to launch on the iPad in the first place. Despite slow development, we have been both impressed and, frankly, a little puzzled by the way Sports Illustrated has tackled each new device, churning out unique, Read More

Posted 07/14/2011 at 9:13am | by J Keirn-Swanson We're rounding the midseason right about now with a crushing defeat of the American League at the hands of the National League at this year's All Star Game. What's that? You didn't realize you could follow and play baseball games on your iOS devices? Well, get yourself some peanuts and cracker jack and a heaping helping of apps to get your game on. 1 of 12 MLB At BatIf you really need your baseball fix, this is the king daddy of them all. Our advice, though, is buy it and buy it now, but choose wisely between iPhone & iPad versions. Otherwise, you're gonna drop $9.99 for each version with MLB's highlights, scores, and Game Day audio feeds. Get it today, too, because after midnight tonight, the price goes up. Hit the Deck BaseballSimple and addictive, Hit the Deck Baseball is like those old pitch-and-hit games from the '80s. The concept for this game is simple: someone pitches and someone takes a swing and an hour later, you're surprised you're still playing. Awesome fun for only $0.99, in either iPad or iPhone flavors. XLARGE X-BaseballIf the high-tech graphics of Hit the Deck too much for you, universal X-Baseball relives the glory days of 8-bit graphics. The game's simple: hit all the pitches, don't strike out, score points. And that's all there is to it. What's not to love? Baseball CardsThis universal app for $0.99 is a must for fans of the old-timey baseball cards of yore, with 2,100 early baseball cards from the Library of Congress. Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Connie Mack, and all the old legends are here, plus some great kitschy retro art. MLB.com Beat the StreakHere's how it works: pick a hitter who you think will make a hit in an upcoming game, then pick one for every day after that. If you're right more than once, you're on a streak. How long can you go? Break baseball's 56-game streak record and you'll win $5,600,000. Not too shabby! And it's free for iPhone, so all it costs you is time. Pro Baseball LiveThis iPhone app is free and you get what you pay for: a Twitter feed following #MLB, what appears to be a baseball RSS feed, scores presented with no flair, and a schedule of games harder to read than any other. If you really just need data without Read More

+ Universal App $3.99 Our Review By Jennifer Allen on July 6th, 2011 Rating: :: IDEAL Cooking Light Recipes is a great and fun way of finding out new healthy recipes Developer: Price: $3.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0.1 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 iPhone Integration Rating: User Interface Rating: Re-use Value Rating: Overall Rating: It’s a good sign when a recipe app offers such attractive photos that even when having only just eaten, my mouth instantly watered at the prospect. Cooking Light Recipes is an accompaniment to the magazine of the same name and it does exactly what anyone could want from a recipe app, offering up enticing propositions that can be combined into a two course meal. Light recipes are obviously the focus in this app but that doesn’t restrict things to substandard quality food by any means. There are 300 recipes in all, each divided into different categories for easy consultation. For someone such as myself, allergic to pork and red meat on the whole, it’s handy to be able to look under pasta, poultry, vegetarian and fish individually. While users can simply select the entree, sides and desserts for themselves, a tap of the suggested menu button creates a balanced meal plan. This then offers up nutritional information with a green circle indicating at a glance that it’s a healthy combination, with more detailed information covering the specifics such as calories and fat content. Each recipe idea is simply explained and attractively laid out. Imagery is attractive and enticing which is exactly what’s needed when browsing through any cookery app. Instructions on how to cook the meal are a little squashed at times if the recipe calls for many steps but at least they’re explained well. Favorite recipes can be saved for future reference as well as shared via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. There’s no sign of a shopping list feature though which would have been convenient. Minor blip aside, Cooking Light Recipes is a great little app. All the recipes are appealing and can easily be introduced into a weekly meal plan. It’s an ideal way to eat more healthily without feeling like any major cutbacks are taking place. Review disclosure: note that the product reviewed on this page may have been provided to us by the developer for the purposes of this review. Note that if the developer provides the product or not, this does not impact Read More

By – Not a “Happy Meal”. Foodish provides an elegant and convenient daily and weekly overview of all entered meals and drinks. In our iPizza ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ Healthy Pizza Recipes application you will find recipes of healthy and law-caloric pizzas. Build a healthy menu or choose one of ours in a snap! Swipe through more than 300 easy, delicious chicken, beef, pork, fish and vegetarian entr?¬©es‚Äö√Ñ√Æthen add sides and desserts to make healthy weeknight meals you and your family will love. Based on your phone‚Äö√Ñ√¥s GPS location, Locavore will make searching for in-season, local food a breeze by pinpointing farms and farmers‚Äö√Ñ√¥ markets nearest you. Read all about them on their profile page, find that specific local item you have been looking for or just check out what‚Äö√Ñ√¥s in-season right now. Plus, you can get recipe suggestions to make with your delicious local food and then, brag about it to all your friends through Facebook. Related Posts Read More

By – Change the way you do it! Never have a bad hair day again with the InStyle Hairstyle Try-On app! Your perfect haircut and style is at your fingertips. Easily try on and adjust the hottest celebrity hairstyles on your own photo, use our auto-detect technology to accurately determine your face shape and try on star styles for that shape. Share the amazing, realistic results, get tips on how to get the look, find an InStyle-approved salon ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ all in one app, built and powered by TAAZ! eBay Mobile has now brought the ultimate automotive marketplace to your iPhone! The eBay Motors app lets you easily browse and shop for the vehicles you want and the vehicle parts and accessories you need, all within an optimized buying experience for the Motors enthusiast. BiteHunter is a real-time search engine for dining deals, aggregating restaurant deals from thousands of sources all in real-time. BiteHunter covers more ground than any other company when it comes to dining deals; we help you eat at great restaurants while still saving money. Available throughout the U.S. Thrillist for iPad brings you the best local recommendations for places to eat, drink, and shop in your ‘hood. Quickly access Thrillist write-ups on thousands of hand-picked restaurants, bars, clubs, and stores across 16 US cities and London (check below to see if your city‚Äö√Ñ√¥s on the list). Browse through the new Checklists tab, featuring gift guides, style HQ’s, holiday restaurant recommendations, and other editorially curated packages of Thrillist articles. Thrillist for iPad also includes Thrillist Nation, which uncovers the best the web has to offer every day. Related Posts Read More

9 May 2011 alle 12:46 E’ di qualche ora fa un interessantissimo articolo di Fortune nel quale Adam Lashinsky, grazie a centinaia di interviste realizzate con ex dipendenti Apple, racconta interessanti vicende riguardo Apple e soprattutto la personalità di Steve Jobs. Leggiamone assieme alcuni spezzoni. Nell’articolo troviamo interessanti aneddoti che tendono soprattutto a spiegare la personalità di Jobs, anche nei momenti di difficoltà. Molti di voi ricorderanno il fallimentare passaggio da .Mac a MobileMe: nonostante il nuovo servizio fosse stato lanciato in puro stile Apple, in realtà nei primi mesi ha avuto non pochi problemi, soprattuto relativi ai server lenti ed ai problemi di sincronizzazione. Per risolvere la questione, Steve Jobs riunì tutti i dipendenti presso la Town Hall al 4 di Infinite Loop, chiedendo semplicemente “Qualcuno può spiegarmi cosa dovrebbe fare MobileMe?” e, dopo aver avuto una risposta soddisfacente ha continuato dicendo “E allora perchè c***o non è cosi?”. In realtà il problema principale per Jobs era il danno all’immagine che aveva subito l’azienda, al punto tale da dire che Mossberg (giornalista del Wall Street Journal), nostro amico, non sta più scrivendo cose buone su di noi. Inutile starvi a dire come si sono evolute le cose per MobileMe nel corso degli anni successivi: il servizio è diventato efficiente al 100% e si vocifera che a breve si espanderà, introducendo iCloud. Lashinsky parla anche del discorso che Jobs fa ad ogni nuovo vice presidente in azienda, che l’autore dell’articolo definisce come La differenza tra l’inserviente ed il Vice Presidente. Jobs – scrive Lashinsky - suppone che la spazzatura non venga svuotata regolarmente nel suo studio e quando chiede all’addetto alle pulizie una spiegazione, lui trova una scusa. Si tratta di una scusa accettabile da parte di qualcuno che svuota i cestini per guadagnarsi da vivere. L’addetto alle pulizie può arrivare a spiegare perché qualcosa è andato storto. I Senior no perchè quando sei l’addetto alle pulizie i motivi importano. Da qualche parte tra l’addetto delle pulizie e il CEO, le ragioni smettono di avere importanza. E la linea viene attraversata quando si diventa Vide Presidenti. Questi ed altri interessantissimi aneddoti sono contenuti nell’articolo di Fortune, che potrete leggere semplicemente scaricando l’applicazione tramite l’AppStore Statunitense, cliccando qui. Read More

Last week, Fortune published a deep dive into Apple, then made sure that many people who would care about it couldn’t read it: The story was available in the magazine’s print and iPad editions, but not on the Web. Instead, tech bloggers quickly devoured the piece and spat it back up, in chunks, on their own sites. And even if they were inclined to, they couldn’t point their readers to the source material. What were Fortune’s managers thinking about? Quite a bit. “This is an entirely new experiment,” says Dan Roth, managing editor of Fortune Digital. “We’re trying to figure out the best way of releasing journalism online.” The short version: Fortune will eventually make the story available, for free, on the Web. But first it’s going to see if it can use Adam Lashinsky’s piece to generate more than just eyeballs. Perhaps even cash. In the past, Fortune would have published the Apple story online last Thursday, at the same time the magazine was showing up on newsstands and in mailboxes. Instead, the magazine teased the piece with a post from Fortune.com Apple blogger Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Saturday, telling print subscribers they could read the full story on Fortune’s iPad app for free. And that everyone else could either sign up for a $20 subscription–which would give them access to the app–or buy an individual iPad edition for $4.99. Fortune hasn’t been able to pull this off until this week. It’s the first time the magazine has been able to offer its iPad app to print subscribers for free, via a pact that parent company Time Inc. just struck with Apple. Roth says the main idea behind gating the story on the iPad app is to give print subscribers a bonus for their patronage. Or to make them feel like they weren’t dummies. “There was this feeling that we’re sort of pissing off our subscribers,” by publishing the magazine’s best stories on the Web, often before paying customers got their hands on them, he says. “The problem was there wasn’t anything we could have offered them before.” And if Fortune can sell some subscriptions or app downloads, even better. Over the weekend, Fortune tracked 1,400 referral visits to its subscription page from Elmer-DeWitt’s post, and another 1,000 visits to the app’s iTunes preview page. Roth says he hasn’t seen iTunes sales numbers yet. Starting this morning, a small slice of the Apple Read More

Although subscribers to the print edition of Fortune magazine can get the full issue on their iPads this month, the rest of us may have to wait a bit -- or head to the local newsstand -- to read Adam Lashinsky's feature 'Inside Apple,' which relays several previously-untold anecdotes and company traditions. Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt over at Apple 2.0 has the preview, noting these tidbits: Sounds like an engaging story; we'll be sure to check it out. Read More