Esquire

Finally, a Reason to Read Magazines on a Tablet

Peter Kafka in Media on April 3 at 5:00 pm PT

Call it “Netflix for Magazines” — unlimited digital subscriptions for $10 or $15 a month.

Another Cool New Yorker App. And This One’s Free.

Peter Kafka in Media on August 8, 2011 at 6:11 am PT

The magazine’s “Goings on About Town” app is exactly what you think it is — which is a good thing. More important, it’s an encouraging sign of experimentation.

Hearst-Owned Magazines Launching Daily Deals With Group Commerce

Tricia Duryee in Media on July 18, 2011 at 5:00 am PT

Hearst-owned magazines are treading on Groupon’s territory with the launch of group-buying discounts, starting off with Road & Track and Car and Driver.

Another Magazine Tries a Non-Magazine iPad App: Esquire’s “Hardest Puzzle Ever”

Peter Kafka in Media on June 1, 2011 at 3:30 am PT

Magazines on the iPad haven’t blown anyone away yet. But one-off apps that use the magazine’s brand to build something new? Interesting.

"Hulu For Magazines" Opens Its Android Newsstand

Peter Kafka in Media on May 17, 2011 at 9:01 pm PT

A year after Apple started selling digital magazines on the iPad, a consortium of publishers opens its own newsstand, via Google. It only works on some Samsung Galaxy tablets for now, but it’s a start.

Hearst Makes Its iPad Debut With Esquire: Full Price, No Subscriptions

Peter Kafka in Media on October 8, 2010 at 4:00 am PT

If you’re the kind of person who refuses to pay paper-and-ink prices for digital goods, then this one isn’t for you. But none of the iPad magazines are. Meantime, this one’s pretty slick.

Time Inc.'s iPad Problem Is Trouble for Every Magazine Publisher

Peter Kafka in Media on July 28, 2010 at 3:30 am PT

Time Inc. likes to show off its iPad apps as a symbol of the company’s future. But inside the publisher, the digital editions have become a source of hair-pulling frustration. That’s because the magazine giant has been unable to get Apple to let it sell and manage subscriptions for its iPad apps–much to Time Inc.’s surprise.

Is There an iPad Premium? Hearst Says Its Popular Mechanics App May Cost More Than the Print Version

Peter Kafka in Media on July 15, 2010 at 9:23 am PT

Internet axiom: Digital stuff–movies, music, whatever–should cost less than its physical counterparts, because it costs less to make it. But don’t tell Hearst. The publisher says it will charge at least as much for the iPad versions of its magazines as it does for its paper and ink version. And in the case of at least one title, it may ask for more.

The Esquire Interview: Carol Bartz Does a Great Impression of Carol Bartz

Kara Swisher in News on May 4, 2010 at 5:35 am PT

Simply put: As a quote machine for eager reporters, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz is the proverbial gift that keeps on giving. Mostly, a very quippy, always slightly potty-mouthed gift, but a gift nonetheless. And this interview, just published in Esquire in its “Women We Love” issue, is the mother lode of Bartzisms.

Found! A Magazine Guy Who Yawns at the iPad.

Peter Kafka in Media on March 30, 2010 at 10:33 am PT

Almost everyone in the magazine industry is gaga over the iPad. Except for design legend George Lois: “It’s so different on the screen. It’s the difference between looking at a woman and having sex with her.”