I first tried Zinio about seven years ago, when it was a desktop/laptop app. After seeing the news that Zinio was available on iPad, I updated my desktop version to the current version 3 reader.

All I can say is that I hope it looks better on iPad than on my desktop. The app itself is pretty yawn-inducing, but what really bothered me is that text looks horrible on my Mac. I downloaded the National Geographic “Water” issue, which is currently free, and also noticed a few typos in the article text as well.

I tried the 4.0 beta, built on Adobe AIR, but I couldn’t get it to run without locking up (or at least stalling for a very long time).

In all, I’m not impressed. I’m much more interested int the Mag+ stuff that’s coming from Bonnier. It seems to really take advantage of the digital medium, instead of just replicating a print magazine with a few interactive bits as Zinio does.

I just fired up my ipad. I’ve been a zinio user for years. I love what they did with their application for Ipad. I called them and they are very open to suggestions and feedback.

not sure what the previous commenter was seeing.

Check this screenshot of a screenshot from Reader 4 on a pc:

http://vvcap.net/db/f0AGIZSFu6bz6Q8E01ao.htp

Check this screenshot of a screenshot from the Ipad app:

http://vvcap.net/db/yBgVw2UJk_HvK-I7fL-9.htp

If you own an ipad, try the app. It’s free. You will get free issues to sample it, and you can purchase from a selection of thousands of titles through the shop through the app.

Thanks for the screenshots pablommmmm.  They look pretty good and are a nice first step in bringing magazines to the desktop.  I know they’ve been around a while, but just replicating the printed page on a desktop screen is just the beginning to what these iBooks are going to have to accomplish to get people to pay for digital magazines.  See John’s article today about the iPad as a litmus test for a much better read on this issue.

The Zinio app just became number one in the news category in the iPad App Store. Here’s some thoughts on why:

http://ow.ly/1wU6n

Regards,

-jf.

@ pablommmmm, good to see those screenshots. Zinio looks much better on the iPad than the version 3 desktop.

@ gadgetboy, I agree with what you wrote on your blog about aggregated readers. Personally, I’d rather have my magazines in one place. I could deal with an app for each magazine, but for not each issue, as some appear to be pursuing. That’s just idiotic, IMO. In-app purchasing (and subscribing!) is the way to go, I think, and I’m sure there’s a way to get out to the buying masses the vast content that aggregate readers, like Zinio, offer.

At this point, though, I hope that Zinio can match the whiz-bang appeal of digital magazines like Popular Science+. That’s incredibly attractive to me, and I’m sure many others. Zinio’s magazine content seems very staid in comparison. I admit my I’ve not seen a lot yet, though, but even the interactive content in National Geographic seemed rather limited. Maybe, though, that was on purpose—only use it where it makes sense.

This is such new territory I suppose it will take a while for publishers to figure out what the public wants. It’s also going to take a while for the public to figure out what it wants.

@woode Popular Science+ is very cool. No doubt. But can they continue to keep up those production values month after month?

That’s gotta be pricey. Not to mention SO far outside their in-house skill sets (for now, anyway).

The Zinio iPad app is really nice - except for one horrible, deal-breaking bug.  When you launch the app, it pauses iPod music playback, and there is no way to restart playback.