MacAddict Magazine to Relaunch as Mac|Life [UPDATED]

by , 2:30 PM EDT, October 6th, 2006

MacAddict magazine will relaunch as Mac|Life next spring, a move confirmed by a Craigslist job posting seeking an editor-in-chief for the new publication. Future US, the publisher of MacAddict and many other magazines, said that "an updated design, voice and mission" will accompany the relaunch.

The new name "is too close to comfort," noted Shawn King, who hosts the Internet radio show Your Mac Life. He told The Mac Observer: "We're not happy about the name change. They've known about us. We are consulting lawyers as to what our next move will be."

A MacAddict representative told TMO that her publication will have an official comment on the relaunch, as well as Mr. King's unhappiness, "in the next few days."

Meanwhile, however, current MacAddict editor-in-chief Rik Myslewski has responded to the situation with a post on the magazine's online forum. TMO reader "koingosw" noted his thoughts in the Comments section, below. He said:

1. MacAddict is, indeed, changing its name to MacLife early next year.
2. The new magazine will be bigger, thicker, better-looking, and stuffed with how-to articles, more-ambitious feature stories, authoritative reviews, and plenty of the engaging, entertaining content that has made MacAddict so popular and such an enjoyable read.
3. The name MacAddict was from another time (1996), back when our stories were about "Fighting Back for the Mac." Apple was on the ropes, and a feisty attitude was exactly the right tack to take. Today, Apple is riding high -- it's products are the most elegant, coolest, most industry-influencing available. We don't need to fight back anymore. We won.
4. I'm not going away; I'll still be an integral part of the MacLife team, but I'll be contributing in a different way -- I'd tell you more about it now, but, hey, we have to keep some surprises, right? One major hint: When you see your first copy of big, thick, gorgeous MacLife, fire up Safari and browse on over to MacLife.com. Oh, and if you're interested, moving on from being the editor in chief to my new role was my idea, not management's.
5. Times change. Magazines change. Those that don't respond to new realities -- such as the fact that Apple is doing great and that our lives have become Mac lives -- wither and fade. Personally, I'm not a witherer and a fader -- and neither are our readers. Next year is going to kick serious hiney -- and MacLife will be kicking it along with Apple and all the third-party hardware and software folks. When MacAddict launched in September of 1996, its first cover contained the message "Why the Mac's Future Is Bright," but the article that accompanied that statement had more than a little whistling in the dark in it. Today, there's no question that the Mac -- and Apple, and the iPod, and whatever comes next -- has a sparking future. So we're going to create an equally sparkling, entertaining, info-packed, gorgeous new magazine. The time is right; the time is now.

10/6/06, 3:35 PM EDT: Updated article with Shawn King's quote and MacAddict's comments.

10/6/06, 4:14 PM EDT: Updated article with Rik Myslewski's comments.