The precipitous change in MacAddict magazine's sales is not an exclusive problem, but rather a continuing virus plaguing the publishing industry, primarily in North America and Europe. Magazine and newspaper sales - both circulation and advertising - have fallen off in recent years as consumers turn their attention to more choices in media and entertainment, such as the Internet, television and satellite radio, to name just a few.

No, the content wasn't there. It once stood out from the crowd, with the lost of the CD it just wasn't worth putting up with the way the circulation dept. treated it's customers.

The other reason could be that the free subscriptions are running out.
Every new Mac has come with a year free subscription to either Macworld or
Macaddict.

Quote

Guest wrote:
No, the content wasn't there. It once stood out from the crowd, with the lost of the CD it just wasn't worth putting up with the way the circulation dept. treated it's customers.

My subscription still includes the CD, but I almost never even check it out as I can get most of the items off of the internet. Back when I was still on a dial-up connection the disk was handy.

A few days ago I received my MacAddict renewal notice and I am still thinking it over.

I recently let my subscription lapse. i found I wasn't reading it. The information is so old by the time you get it. Yes, indepth analysis can make up for that, and there were still things that were worth reading. But there wasn't enough. I get my mac news on the internet. Here. From Apple. TheMacintoshGuy e-mail lists.

"No, the content wasn't there. It once stood out from the crowd, with the lost of the CD it just wasn't worth putting up with the way the circulation dept. treated it's customers."

You may be right that the content is not there, Guest; however, you're just flat wrong in the way you use that statement as a rebuttal to the assertion that falling circulation is not an exclusive problem of MacAddict.

Daily newspapers are dying. Magazines are folding. Look at the Los Angeles Times.

If you don't think this is an industry-wide issue, then you clearly know nothing about the industry.

As for my subscriptions, both MacAddict and MacWorld are on the block. I get most of my news from here, that other big Mac site and podcasts like MacOS Ken and the Mac Geek Gab.

Under Rik Myslewski, MacAddict has become a dessicated shell of its former self. Its anemic 80 pages offer little of interest, although I do have to congratulate Niko Coucouvanis for nearly single-handedly keeping the publication alive for the past few years by writing some of the few worthwhile articles, mainly "how to do cool stuff on your Mac."

Bring back "freakin' awesome" and the content that went with it, and the readers will come! Until then, MacAddict (and the future Mac|Life) and MacWorld will continue to be ignored as the dying publications they have become.

In contrast, Computer Power User has grown out of anandtech.com to become a beefy and entertaining PC enthusiast magazine. Its articles may not be edited quite as well as articles in the old MacAddict, but they pack a lot more content and punch, and the reviews are far superior.

Another great magazine with real content is Make magazine - it's a magazine full of interesting and cool high and low-technology projects. It's expensive, but it's something that you want to keep on your shelf for a long time.

MacWorld and MacAddict should wake up and take a look at CPU and Make - they prove that magazines don't have to be lousy and content-free.

Freakin Awesome was the work of the previous team, but it was the underlying theme at that time.

Rik's desire was to make the mag something else. Difficult to do when it needs to be done, impossible to do when the user base likes it the way it is.

I left at the 100th issue due to content, it was no longer unique, it was Mac World, but not as polished.

Maybe they'll be able to turn it around with the new venture.

sorry for the typo

Before their last makeover, MacAddict was fun to read, fun to look at, had a real brand ID (freakin' awesome), and enough content to engage readers who simply love Macs. The makeover was a disaster; they tried to emulate MacWorld, they got too serious, the art direction became a snore, the editorial was dry, and they phased out the little guy. I have no idea what their publisher was thinking. They took a good brand and a good idea and just trashed it. I've been an ad agency creative director for 26 years and I've rarely seen somone mishandle a brand so effectively. Now they want to throw the name out. Take a stand, MacAddict! Go back to what you did best and do it right! We don't need another MacWorld or iCreate.

I just thought it might be a good idea -- full-disclosure, and all that -- to point out that we at MacAddict turned down an offer from Brad Gibson, the author of this article, that he produce podcasts for us. He produced a pilot that, to be kind, was of unacceptable quality. Understandably, he wasn't happy; unprofessionally, he neglected to mention that failed relationship in this posting.

-Rik Myslewski