Magazines

Latest New Yorker cover illustrated using iPad Pro and Apple Pencil

The latest cover of the popular New Yorker magazine was drawn on an iPad. The artist, Jorge Colombo, used an iPad Pro, an Apple Pencil stylus and the app Procreate to sketch the image for the New Yorker’s cover story “Waterways.”

Colombo says that he likes to work at the local café, library, or the Staten Island ferry. “The ferry is a great place to work: there’s the smell of the water, and late at night there aren’t many people. It’s like being in a grand hotel lobby.”

Report claims Apple bought magazine platform Prss

Apple may have acquired the magazine platform Prss (pronounced ‘press’) for an undisclosed amount, according to an unverified report filed Tuesday by Dutch publication iCulture.nl [Google Translate] and corroborated by TechCrunch.

Citing a source knowledgeable with the situation, the article claims that several Prss employees are now working for Apple. An Apple spokesperson responded with the usual boilerplate message.

“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” the company representative told TechCrunch.

Prss is a browser-based collaborative tool that allows anyone to create and publish their own magazine on Apple’s Newsstand, no programming skills required whatsoever.

Apple extends iPhone 5c ad push to Rolling Stone magazine

Continuing with its advertising push for the iPhone 5c, Apple has taken out a high-profile ad in this month’s issue of Rolling Stone. The print ad, which resembles the art we have seen in online spots, can be found on the back cover of the magazine.

Earlier today we noted that Apple had launched a rather aggressive campaign for the handset, which it launched last fall. In the past few weeks, animated 5c ads have popped up on expensive real estate, including Yahoo.com and NYTimes.com…

Google launches Newsstand for Android, iOS app coming in 2014

The Internet giant Google today moved closer to consolidating its digital magazine offerings by merging magazines and newspapers along with the Currents app into a new software, known as Google Play Newsstand (seriously?). Google Currents functionality has now been folded into Newsstand, now available for download on Android devices via the Play store.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed that an iOS version is coming in 2014. In addition to subscriptions to digital magazines like Hearst, Conde Nast and Time Warner’s Time Inc. sold through Google Play Magazine, the company has now started selling newspaper subscriptions, with The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Financial Times and Los Angeles Times acting as premium launch partners, among other publications.

Apple of course has its own digital store for magazines and newspapers in the stock Newsstand app on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices so it’ll be interesting seeing how Google’s latest endeavor plays out in the greater scheme of things…

Apple highlights 64-bit A7 processor in new iPhone 5s print ad

Earlier this month, Apple began running a magazine advertisement for its iPhone 5s with a byline reading “your finger is the password.” It briefly explained some of the benefits of Apple’s new Touch ID security system.

Well new iPhone 5s print ad has surfaced this week, this time highlighting Apple’s new 64-bit A7 processor. Similar to the previous spot, the ad features a large photo of the 5s and a byline: “Desktop Power. Pocket Size.”

iPhotographer Magazine launches on Apple’s Newsstand, free issue available

We love iPhone photography, sometimes referred to as iPhoneography, here at iDB. We love learning new methods to take better photos with our iPhones, and of course, sharing those methods with our awesome readers.

With that in mind, we wanted to tell you about a new digital magazine devoted to the subject. It’s called iPhotographer, and it just launched on Apple’s Newsstand this week with—wouldn’t you know it—a free preview issue…

Popular Apple blog ‘The Loop’ launches bi-monthly iOS magazine on Newsstand

I’m a big fan of veteran Apple blogger Jim Dalrymple and his insightful, unapologetic writing over at The Loop, where he’s Editor-In-Chief. You could say Jim is something of a personal hero to me, at least when it comes to blogging about Apple.

While people who follow @jdalrymple on Twitter know him as ‘The Beard’, Jim’s an Apple journalist’s favorite go-to source whenever a major rumor needs confirming.

With his deep connections at Apple, he occasionally lends his aura of credibility to unconfirmed stories with a single ‘yep.’ And his proverbial ‘nope’ is well-regarded for shooting wacko reports by major outlets.

And now, putting all that expertise, experience and passion to work, Jim has launched a digital magazine for the iPhone, iPod and iPad devices on Apple’s Newsstand…

Apple rolls out new ‘Read Them Here First’ section in Newsstand

Today has actually been a pretty big day for Newsstand. Earlier we learned that long-time holdout Rolling Stone Magazine finally landed on the iPad. And this afternoon, Apple rolled out a new section to the store.

It’s called ‘Read Them Here First,’ and it’s essentially a list of magazines that are now available to subscribers days before they come to print, or other digital platforms. And the first featured publisher is Hearst…

Rolling Stone finally lands on the iPad

After a long two-year holdout, the popular magazine Rolling Stone has finally decided to embrace Apple’s tablet. The publication’s first iPad edition hit the Newsstand app last night in subscription flavors of $1.99 per month and $19.99 per year. It’s optimized for the slate, and interactive, with iTunes links embedded in all media-related articles…

Time names the iPhone 5 ‘Gadget of the Year’

The year is winding down, and like clockwork, TIME Magazine has released its annual collection of 55 lists showcasing the best and the worst of the past 12 months. And as you’ve probably already gleaned from the title, the publication has named the iPhone 5 its ‘Gadget of the Year.’

Apple’s handset beat out several rival products from Samsung and Microsoft, including the Note II and the Surface tablet, as well as Nintendo’s new Wii U gaming console. In fact, author Harry McCracken says that it’s is one of the most artfully polished gadgets anyone’s ever built…