Apple has launched a new section of Newsstand called Read Them Here First, where 20 Hearst magazines are offered to iPad owners "before they appear in print or any other digital edition" if they subscribe. The magazines include O, Cosmopolitan, Car and Driver, Popular Mechanics, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar, Redbook, and more.
Read Them Here First iPad Page
Newsstand is Apple's magazine and newspaper-centric part of the App Store where publications iPad and iPhone are gathered. Apple has had a hit and miss track record with publishers as some were early adopter and others balked at Apple's refusal to share subscriber information. Apple also requires its usual 30 percent cut for Newsstand subscriptions, another sore spot for some publishers.
Hearst, however, is one of the top magazine publishers on the planet, and the company has embraced Newsstand. The company currently has some 31 total magazines offered through Newsstand, including the 20 being included in the iPad-first promotion.
Hearst has also embraced other platforms, however, including digital magazine pioneer Zinio (also on iPad) and Next Issue (which is also on iPad). Giving Apple's Newsstand early access gives Apple and advantage in promoting its proprietary service and the iPad as a magazine vehicle, too.
So far, it's only Hearst's publications that are available, and it remains to be seen if other publishers will be interested in adding their titles to the mix.
As of this writing, you won't find the feature if you go through iTunes on Mac or PC, though you can use the direct link to Read Them Here First to view it there. On the iPad, you'll find a link to the feature in the ribbon of promo banners at the top of the page that looks like this:
Read Them Here First Banner
[via CNet]