I know the iPod is successful, but an iPod magazine?

[Adel]

Macworld UK has published the first issue of iPod User, a product-specific magazine for the white/chrome soap bar.

I love my iPod as much as anyone, but does it justify having its very own magazine? I mean, after three or four issues, what are else are they going to talk about?

Take a look at the contents of the first issue:

iPod User is packed with the following:

• How to use the iTunes Music Store - An easy-to-follow guide to using Apple's newly launched music-download service for the UK
• Reviews of every iPod - read our expert advice before you choose the right model for you
• Master iTunes - Apple's fabulous desktop jukebox made easy
• iPod accessories - A 19 page round up of everything from iPod cases to in-car kits and iPod clothing
• iPod Web sites - A roundup of the best online iPod resources
• In-depth iPod troubleshooting guide - problem solving tips
• iPod power user tricks and techniques - *for those who want to get serious with their iPod
• iPod celebrity users - a revealing glimpse into the world of the rich and famous iPod user
• Audiobooks for your iPod - how to get and use Audiobooks on your iPod
• The future of the iTunes play lists
• WIN - tons of iPod accessories to be won - enter now!
• PLUS a FREE CD - *Masses of Windows and Mac software to enhance and extend both iPod and iTunes

What's next? iSightAddict?

Don't me wrong, I wish it all the best. I'm just ...skeptical. :dry:

[Edited on 6-25-2004 by Adel]

[vicicasas]

If a magazine can survive with a name like Crappie (I keep running into issues of this magazine at Book Sale and I can't help but laugh) then iPod User still has a decent shot at it.

[Kelvin]

Reviews of every iPod - read our expert advice before you choose the right model for you

huh? They actually made an iPod buyer's guide article? Hello? Di ba obvious that you buy whatever size you can afford? Labo mehn. IMHO this is stretching the iPod phenomena a bit too much and with the amount of Internet hype the iPod gets (which talk about anything you can imagine about iTunes and the iPod), do we need a Magazine with information that will surely be outdated by the time you read it?

[Carlo]

... for those who want to get serious with their iPod

Nubayan.

[elbert]

I think it'll work. Sales of the iPod are astronomical. It's a billion dollar industry for Apple. If Apple had to separate the iPod business from their core business, then it logically follows that Mac-centric magazines would spin off into iPod-centric ones too.

There are millions of iPod users out there who have no clue as to how to use the iPod. In addition, there are countless other potential iPod users who may just find the answers they are looking for in this new mag.

This is definitely good news for the iPod. Just having a picture of an iPod every month on magazine racks across the U.S. makes it more an object of desire, and may just help boost sales.

[Kelvin]

But how can it compete with the other gadget magazines that feature not just the iPod but other "toys" as well? Heck, I don't know, maybe I'm not part of the target market or maybe the publishers know something that I don't. I just feel that the publishers are slicing a market niche too small to be viable.

[freeformula]

I still think there should be an iPod amateur DJing night somewhere in this city! iPod DJing would be a great topic to cover. Then again, that's just me! :lol:

[gonz]

I agree with Elbert, I think there's a market for this mag. Even though the iPod doesn't have nearly as many capabilities as a full-blown Mac desktop or laptop, there's still the wide and growing world of iPod peripherals, add-ons, accessories and modifications to tap into and write about. If MacWorld gets away with monthly roundup mini-reviews of the same digital cameras, scanners, printers, etc., then I don't see why the same principle can't be applied to the iPod and its various add-ons.

Also, there's the perception issue to consider: having a magazine devoted to the iPod lends credence to the widespread perception that there are millions of iPod users out there, and lots of interest in it. In a sense, putting out magazines devoted to a product help to extend the perception that there is a lot of widepsread interest in and support for that product. Oftentimes, perception becomes reality, and the reality fuels the perception.

[elbert]

From the publishers of Macworld and PCAdvisor magazines iPod User is a must for Windows and Mac users who are either planning to buy or already own an Apple iPod or iPod mini.

I know where you're coming from, Kelvin. Look at it this way, gadget magazines never say enough about the iPod. It's always a short feature, so much is left out. I doubt they care to write about the same product over and over again anyway.

But taking into account that the iPod is music related, as much as it is computer related, there really is a great deal of material to fill up an issue. The iPod is more lifestyle than IT anyway.

We still don't know if it'll be a monthly, quarterly or annual publication. I'll bet on quarterly at first.

Did you know that MacWorld is not one to be taking this sitting down? There's talk of an iPodWorld mag being in the works.

Having an iPod magazine can only be good news for us iPod users. This will certainly drive an iPod economy spawning various accessories, add-ons, content, applications, games, etc.

BTW, well said, Gonz. You took the words right out of my mouth.

[Edited on 6-25-2004 by elbertc]

[Arel]

Besides, the iPod has been Apple's best shot at attracting new consumers, non-Apple users, to its fold for some time now!

The iPod Mini's doing its own share of "recruitment" as well, as proven by its pink variant being the most difficult to get.

iPod User just might fly! Heck, I'd buy a copy when it becomes available locally.