Zinio - Read Magazines on iPad & PC
The Shift from Print to Digital Magazines
Visiting local bookstores often prompts reflection on the number of magazines displayed that remain unsold. Despite their appealing design and valuable content, many go unpurchased. Inquiries to store personnel consistently reveal the same outcome: unsold magazines are returned for recycling.
While the recycling of paper is commendable, the prevalence of paper magazines seems increasingly anachronistic in the era of the iPad. A transition towards greater digital availability, particularly for subscribers utilizing tablets like the iPad, feels both logical and desirable.
Currently, Zinio Magazine & Reader (available via the iTunes Store) stands out as the most effective application for accessing digital magazine publications on the iPad. Zinio has a history as a computer-based magazine reader.
Zinio's Extensive Catalog
The platform distributes a vast selection of full-color magazines, encompassing titles such as Rolling Stone, Car and Driver, and Time Magazine. A significant portion of the magazines commonly found on newsstands are available for download through Zinio.
Although most publications require a subscription fee, the Zinio applications themselves – both mobile and desktop versions – are offered free of charge.
My personal experience with Zinio’s iPad application has redefined the magazine subscription experience. The iPad, as previously noted, provides an exceptional reading environment for diverse publication formats, including PDFs, e-books, magazines, and webpages.
Reducing Paper Consumption
Employing the Zinio magazine reader on my iPad is leading to a noticeable reduction in the accumulation of paper magazines on bookshelves and in storage. I anticipate a future where magazine reading is primarily conducted through applications like Zinio.
Subscribing to magazines via the iPad eliminates the delays associated with traditional mail delivery. New issues become accessible to your Zinio account considerably faster than their physical counterparts.
Zinio for the iPad is a user-friendly application designed to download magazine subscriptions directly to your device. Like other e-reader applications, such as iBooks and Amazon Kindle, it features intuitive page-turning functionality.
Key Features and Functionality
It also provides rapid access to both a linear view and a thumbnail overview of the publication’s table of contents. Furthermore, a zoom feature is included, proving particularly beneficial for readers who require magnification.
While the page-turning animation is generally smooth, a brief loading period of one or two seconds is sometimes necessary. However, the resolution quality of the digital pages remains consistently high, rendering both text and images with clarity.
A text-only mode is also available for those who prefer to focus solely on the written content of magazine articles.
Interactive Content and Synchronization
Certain magazines incorporate interactive elements, such as embedded audio and video content. Your Zinio account allows for seamless synchronization of subscriptions across multiple devices, including mobile devices and computers running Mac, Linux, or PC operating systems.
Zinio Reader Application
An updated Adobe Air-based computer reader, Zinio Reader 4, has recently been launched by Zinio. While the experience of consuming magazines on a computer, or even an iPhone, doesn't quite match the fluidity of the iPad version in my assessment, the desktop application boasts a more comprehensive feature set.
The desktop reader allows users to share links to specific pages from their magazine subscriptions through email and various social networking platforms. Furthermore, it enables bookmarking and content clipping with the addition of personalized comments.
Key Features of Zinio Reader
- Page sharing via email and social media.
- Bookmark functionality for easy reference.
- Content clipping with annotation capabilities.
Notably, this functionality is absent from the iPad application, representing a significant difference in usability. The ability to conduct keyword searches within publications is also lacking in the mobile iteration of the app.
The absence of annotation features, present in the iPad version, currently hinders the full potential of this application. Future updates are anticipated to address this limitation and enhance the user experience.
Despite these drawbacks, Zinio Reader remains a valuable application for digital magazine consumption on the iPad. Until Apple potentially integrates magazine and newspaper support into its iBooks platform, Zinio provides the most effective solution currently available.
We are interested in hearing about your experiences reading on your iPad or iPhone. Do you primarily utilize these devices for your reading habits?
