I used to buy a lot of paper magazines when I was younger, but stopped a few years ago – the large volume of paper that ended up going into the recycling every month was a strong disincentive. The same applies to newspapers – we don’t buy paper editions at all anymore, preferring to get our news online instead.
That doesn’t mean I don’t like browsing through magazines! So I was excited to discover the wide range of digital ones available on the iPad – quite a few of which are free. Here are some that I came across recently while trawling the iPad Newsstand…
Best find so far is an archive app of old Oprah magazines – you can download all the editions from Dec 2010 to Dec 2012 for free. The link is here – be warned that it’s quite data intensive and that each magazine will use up (I think) about 450MB of storage space. Having said that, you have the option to archive each edition when you’ve finished reading it.
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If you’re a fan of iPhone photography, it’s worth having a look at Hipstamatic’s free Snap Magazine. The software is a little clunky, but it’s amazing to see the stunning art that’s being produced through the teeny tiny lens on iPhone cameras!
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The Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine is brilliant in digital form – so good in fact that I’m thinking about subscribing. They provide two free issues as a sample – April 2012 (Italian) and July 2011 (French). The layout uses a very clever mix of horizontal and vertical scrolling, as well as interactive elements.
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Coles Supermarkets have their Curtis Stone hosted magazine available on iPad – and every edition is free! I’m not sure if this (or the Gourmet Traveller above) will be available overseas, but it’s certainly accessible from Australian iTunes accounts. The link is here.
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As you saw from my last post, I’m a big fan of National Geographic photos (although less of the actual magazine). The main magazine doesn’t offer a sample, so it’s hard to see what it would look like in digital format, but NG Traveler does. I’ve downloaded it for a quiet read on the deck a bit later on this afternoon.
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Hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Some great recommendations here Celia – especially the hipstamatic mag.
Sally, SNAP is fantastic – urbane and chic and cool. Makes for nice easy reading.. :)
Thanks for the tips!
Bit of fun, Deb! :)
My girl & boy recently received a gift of an iPad mini to share. I am really enjoying catching up on my blog reading when they eventually go to bed. Such an improvement on the phone screen. It’s only 16gb though and has filled up within a month. Will have to investigate that cloud up there as the NG traveller looks great as does the arctic photography app you mentioned in a previous post.
Kay, hope you enjoy them as much as I have!
Morning Celia, Ashfield & Marrickville library have a free Zinio eMagazine service. Mostly US mags but a few aussie ones like Gardening Australia. A wide range of genres. No backlog though. Only current issues.
Thank you! My friend Maude was telling me the same thing yesterday! I’ll check it out! :)
Thanks for the tour. I like the sound of Gourmet Traveler being available on-line. I too used to buy so many magazines but it’s been moving house several times in recent years that has really put me off buying them again – they weigh a tonne! xx
Gourmet Traveller is just fabulous in digital format, Charlie! And we’ve decided enough paper comes into the house already without me adding to it with magazines! :) x
I not only bought just about every magazine under the sun, but kept them [correction: have kept them :) !]. Too expensive for my pocket these days, but the moment it gets warmer a few thousand will find their way into recycling bins – after I have had another look, of course ;) ! Don’t have an iPad . . .make do with my big desktop, but a lot of interest can be downloaded, ’tis true!!
Eha, that’s so true! :)
Oh, you’ve reminded me – I was having problems with my ipad Gourmet Traveller sub. I must check it out to see if it’s sorted. Ther online mag is lovely!
I hope it’s fixed, Amanda, I’m thinking of subscribing! :)
I would love an ipad just for the magazines. Sadly the blackberry does not have the same sort of selection :)
Tandy, I’ve never had a blackberry, but I know it wasn’t the same trying to read SNAP on the iPhone.. :)
Thanks for this roundup Celia. Hope all is well in your world xo
Cheers Lizzy! Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend.. x
Pete has insurmountable online subscriptions – I very rarely buy a magazine too Celia. Now if I could just keep Pete at home to use his iPad.;-)
Have a super week ahead.
:-) Mandy xo
Ha! Seems like a good excuse to buy your own, Mandy! :)
You always have so many ideas. Thanks for letting us know. x
Most welcome, darling x
I’ve got a couple of magazines on my tablet and it’s great. I like the food magazines because I can prop up the tablet and I don’t have to print out a recipe. Good ideas, Celia.
Let me know if there are any you know of that I’ve missed, Maureen! Thanks.. :)
I, too, like having magazines on my iPad. Never will I have to read a 6 month old magazine in the dentist’s office again! :)
Thanks for your recommendations, Celia. I’ll be sure to check them out.
John, to buy a hard copy Oprah magazine here costs about $18!! To subscribe on the iPad is just $2/issue, or there’s two years worth of archives for free. Like you, I won’t be having to rely on visits to the hairdresser anymore to get my fill of glossy mags. :)
I have to admit, I am a magazine hoarder to the extent that the piles threaten to topple! But, this is my last year of subscriptions as we are moving house in the New Year. I may subscribe to one or two or try to do without. We have made the change to the newspaper app and I have bought my first cookbook as an ibook.
Christine, I’m still struggling with cookbooks – I like to flip pages! I must check them out on the iPad though – I’ve only ever bought them on the kindle, and it’s black and white!
Like you I cut back on my magazine subcriptions, and when the remaining one is up I’ll likely drop it. Even without an Ipad, there’s so much online content available, I’ll never have the time to read it all. I especially like http://covetgarden.com/, also http://www.homelife.com.au/ and sometimes http://www.adoremagazine.com/ :)
Great pointers, thanks ED I’ll check them out!
Great tips & I’ll have to check this out. I’ve almost stopped buying all magazines & books in favor of the IPad versions but I read so many books that I rely on the public library for most of my reading. I’d be broke otherwise. That said, I also just donated over 200 old books to them for their fundraiser so I feel good about giving a little back to them.
Diane, apparently many public libraries are now offering ebooks and emags as well! :)
I’ve just started reading magazines online too and am loving it! Great selection you have here!
Clare, it’s so expensive to buy paper magazines – and they all end up in the recycling anyway! :)
I miss my Aussie magazines :( I did look into subscribing..but postage to Canada is insane. My favourite was Good Taste but I also like Masterchef. The free Coles magazines were fun too. I did buy a couple of issues of Gourmet Traveller as well.
Bernice, I wonder if you can subscribe to the digital versions? The iPad interface is certainly very good, especially for Gourmet Traveller!
I don’t have an ipad Celia, I’m an android user. I did check online but couldn’t find anything…but I did find out Australian Good Taste is gone!! :(