Mag+ massively expands the market for digital titles – to iPhone, Kindle Fire and seven-inch Android, within clicks
And supports iPad3 retina display
LONDON, April 11, 2012 – Mag+ publications will access the mass new markets of Kindle Fire, along with iPhones and seven-inch Androids, in just a few extra clicks.
In addition, Mag+ is producing high-res, colour-saturated publications to meet iPad3’s new native 2048x1536 retina display.
Once a design is complete, the publishing platform exports to any format –automatically delivering the right version to the right device.
Mag+ CEO Staffan Ekholm says publishers have been struggling to future-proof themselves across the full range of mobile devices. “Mag+ is a powerful, strategic ally – delivering titles into new markets very efficiently,” he says.
Regarding the visual clarity now possible on iPad3, Ekholm continues, “People who want to understand just how different the new iPad really is, need only to spend a few moments with a magazine created for its native resolution. Text is tack sharp and images are so vibrant it feels as though you could dive right in.”
The April issue of Popular Science+ is among the first iPad3-ready, retina-enhanced titles on Mag+, along with MAD Magazine, which debuted this month among the top five best sellers on Apple’s App Store.
Ekholm welcomes the new stunning-looking editions, saying, “MAD magazine’s esteemed tradition of visual humour literally enters a new dimension with this digital edition.
“And it’s fitting that PopSci+, the first iPad title ever, the one Steve Jobs praised at the launch of iPad, should be among the first in iPad3’s Newsstand, looking this great.”
Ekholm welcomes the digital market evolution, as it becomes even more interesting for publishers looking to take advantage.
“We’re keeping in step as the sector evolves, offering development tools for a wide array of devices, giving customers a variety of canvases and more avenues for creative expression,” he says.
“Some will simply scale their work to fit the various screen sizes, which is now quite easy to do. Others will take a unique approach to each, based on how they are most commonly used. There’s a lot of great creativity to come.”
iOS Environment Changes
Several tweaks have also been made to the iOS environment. These include:
- Tappable covers in the store and library (in process)
- Promotional in-app store banners open links via the in-app browser
- Double tap option which removes text layer can be disabled
- InDesign CS6 support available at launch
- Ability to select a free inclusive issue with the app download
Notes to editors
The new iPhone reader app will be available in June; select beta customers will launch their first Mag+ iPhone titles in May.
Click here for MAD magazine on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/mad-magazine-cheap!/id511459864?mt=8
Click here for PopSci+ on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/popular-science+/id364049283?mt=8
Please find attached cover images for the retina-enhanced iPad editions of MAD magazine and Popular Science+, along with an image showing the difference between native retina resolution-text and text that’s been upscaled from an iPad2 version.
A Kindle Fire reader app, which includes Amazon e-commerce support; a 1024x600 development template; and a reviewer app will be available in mid-April, along with support for other 1024x600 Android tablets.
All new platforms conform to the Mag+ pricing structure, which allows custom branded apps to be published for as little as US$199
According to Barclays analyst Anthony DiClemente, 5.5 million Kindle Fire units were sold in the last quarter of 2011, up from his initial estimate of 4.5 million units.
During the fourth quarter of 2011, Apple sold 15.4 million iPads.
Three million iPad3s were sold in the first weekend of their launch.
For more information please contact:
Press contact UK: Nancy Prendergast, nancy@tannissanmae.com, or Lise Colyer, lise@tannissanmae.com.
Press contact USA: Dean Rodgers, dean@vibrancepr.com, 255-432-4669
About Mag+
Mag+ (www.magplus.com) is the most flexible and efficient platform for publishing creative content on touch screen tablets and smart phones. Mag+ premiered on the first iPads in April 2010 with the award-winning Popular Science+ and now supports more than 350 titles by publishers and creatives around the globe, including Mad magazine, British Journal of Photography, Computeractive, Victoria & Albert Museum, Hemispheres (United Airlines), Toyota UK, WebMD, Outside and IDG. With its streamlined production system, powerful backend and feature-rich design framework, Mag+ is ideal for anyone — from magazine and book publishers to catalogue marketers and design agencies — wanting to bring beautiful, immersive content to the millions using this new generation of digital devices.
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