Hearst Magazines Update Newsstand Apps ⇥ talkingnewmedia.com

D.B. Hebbard, Talking New Media:

There are the typical complaints about the fact that the apps are free to download but then you must buy the issues (sorry, you have to pay to read most consumer magazines); then there are the complaints about the Newsstand (can’t find the app once it has been downloaded).

Hearst’s apps tell us a lot about magazine readers: many are older and just not comfortable with the whole app experience of in-app purchases, or the way digital publications are navigated. That’s a shame, because Hearst’s digital editions are fairly good (app bugs aside).

I don’t think this is isolated to Hearst’s audience. It’s time to say goodbye to Newsstand.