Poll: Do you subscribe to any paper Mac Magazines? [Archive]

pretentious

Jul 14, 2003, 02:09 AM

No, I can find all that I want on the web. I'll glance at them when I'm in a book store or something and I'll even buy them if they seam to be interesting or maybe for the disk (which I couldn't get w/ a subscription). But usually they just have dribble that I have already read a 1000 times upon the web, and so it seams to be old news by the time its printed and delivered to me.

Right now I just have a subscription to Wired, which even though I might be able to find on the web later I still enjoy reading in its original form. Anyway it sometimes feels so Mac-centric you could construe it into being a Mac mag if you wanted too.

gerror

Jul 14, 2003, 02:12 AM

No, altough I buy a dutch magazine called MacFan. Not for the news but for the backround articles.

Pancake

Jul 14, 2003, 02:23 AM

The internet has let stop paying for old news.

bignumbers

Jul 14, 2003, 02:35 AM

MacWorld - free, rarely read it anymore (read stuff on web first), probably won't renew when it expires.

MacTech - my subscription should last another year, interesting (and no web-equivalent), but don't read it enough to renew.

pimentoLoaf

Jul 14, 2003, 08:18 AM

MacWorld -- I have EVERY issue;

MacAddict -- a good many early issues, and since late-2001.

I also have a fair number of MacFormats and MacWorld UKs to eyeball, and the first issue of iCreate (just published), which looks like a sure winner.

Non-Apple rag subscriptions are PCWorld (since 1993), Scientific American, Wired, Technology Review, and...

... Classic Trains (since inception a few years ago; I've renewed through 2005).

Non-Apple's ('cept for CT) often get thrown out or given to others.

MacFan25

Jul 14, 2003, 08:21 AM

I don't subscribe to any mac magazines, but I have bought a few.

Freg3000

Jul 14, 2003, 08:21 AM

I get MacAddict. I have every issue, I think there are over 80 now. I also get those advertising magazines from MacMall, ClubMac, MacZone, etc. Those don't really count, but they still come every 2 weeks. :)

wdlove

Jul 14, 2003, 08:26 AM

I subscribe to NacAddict and MacWorld!

thebossisback

Jul 14, 2003, 08:54 AM

I subscribe to Macaddict, but i wont renew my subscription because their magazine has gotten worse in the last year and it isnt very informative anymore

pyrotoaster

Jul 14, 2003, 09:22 AM

I don't get Mac magazines for Mac news (the news in those mags is always a month old), but for the reviews, how-tos, and features.

I'm a subscriber to MacWorld and MacAddict. I also occassionally get MacHome through that "Thanks for Registering!" gift from Apple (although I don't like MacHome enough to pay for it).

MacAddict is, by far, the most entertaining Mac Mag. They actually have some fun while writing the thing.

MacWorld's got lots of good info, but it's so dry. If they got rid of Andy Inhakto's editorial, I'd probably quit reading (that's the biggest reason I bother with MacWorld).

Wow. That's way more than I needed to say. ;)

Squire

Jul 14, 2003, 09:26 AM

I bought one issue of MacAddict before I got my iMac. It was pretty cool.

They want an arm and a leg for most English magazines over here- about 10 bucks US each- so I don't buy many. As for subscriptions, I used to get Maxim. That was a riot when I was single but sort of lost its appeal after I got married. Now I get Timber Homes Illustrated and read it cover-to-cover. (They don't have a website.)

Squire

Edit: Changed "MacWorld" to "MacAddict" after reading above post. Remembered that the mag was entertaining, not dry.

Fender2112

Jul 14, 2003, 09:46 AM

My MacWorld subscription just expired and I do not plan to renew it. Most of what is new is usually a month or so old by the time it gets printed. Ever since I started reading MacRumors, I hardly ever pick up a magazine.

I was always bothered that the issue I get today is next month's issue and has information from last month. I can read it here as it happens :)

droid

Jul 14, 2003, 10:08 AM

The web killed most tech magazines.

At least it did for me. As many have stated above, by the time news shows up in a magazine, it is already about a month old and been posted on many websites.

The only magazine I feel that is worth a subscription is Mac Tech. (mainly becuase I am into mac development and their website is not that great. (sorry Mac Tech guys))

painandgreed

Jul 14, 2003, 10:23 AM

MacAddict Even though their website has gone from "useful with new information by the hour" to "updated less often than the paper version comes out", I still like the magazine. A good combo of humor, helpful tips, good design, and product reviews. The best part however is The Disk, especially when I had dialup. I haven't seen any really good shareware games lately, but if I want to play old ones I have archives on the Disk so I don't have to worry about if they have disappeared off the net or become commercialware.

idea_hamster

Jul 14, 2003, 10:23 AM

Only Mac Design

The tips are great and quite often useful. Are they available on the web? Yup. Do I enjoy having the paper mag? Well, at least until I get that T-1 line in the throne room....

King Cobra

Jul 14, 2003, 10:38 AM

If I am not mistaken, the question is (and was): "Do you subscribe to any paper Mac Magazines?", not "How much has the internet impacted your reading of magazines?".

My father gets MacConnection, MacMall, MacZones, and MacWorld. He lets me have the MacAddict.

Macworld is textbook, but informative.

MacAddict has some comical insights, but lately the magazine is too focused on that insight, as well as reviews and software, rather than facts.

Billicus

Jul 14, 2003, 11:15 AM

I'm subscribed to both MacAddict and Macworld. Macworld is more informative, but I like the zany edge MacAddict has to it. It makes me laugh every time I read it. :D

iShater

Jul 14, 2003, 11:26 AM

MacWorld!!!

I still love reading reviews on paper.

Now if I can add that free subscription that Apple offered with my iBook to my existing subscription. Hmmm... has anybody done that successfully?

irmongoose

Jul 14, 2003, 11:49 AM

MacAddict. It's definitely not for the news, but I like reading it for the heck of it. It's fun. May not justify the price, but heck, my dad's paying for it.

irmongoose

pimentoLoaf

Jul 14, 2003, 11:51 AM

Originally posted by iShater

Now if I can add that free subscription that Apple offered with my iBook to my existing subscription. Hmmm... has anybody done that successfully?

That's how I restarted my MacAddict subscription after a lull of three years. Dunno if it's allowed for a current subscription.

avus

Jul 14, 2003, 11:58 AM

I still get MacWorld from registering my Powerbook earlier this year.

Although I don't subscribe to, but I do check MacPeople and MacFan at a Japanese bookstore in LA every two weeks (they are published twice a month) and I am often amazed at the amount of information and how-to articles by both magazines that none of US based monthly magazines can match. They are notoriously famous for disassembling new Macs as soon as they come out and showing the pictures of the internal parts. They are much faster in reporting news too, i.e. the news of the WWDC and the G5 are already reported in the magazines, and again the US based monthly magazines can not match that. They are not that expensive either, as each issue comes with a CD-ROM yet it costs about $8 here (in Japan, the price is 700 yen, which is less than $6).

Bear

Jul 14, 2003, 12:02 PM

I've gotten MacWorld for free for a couple of different reasons. I won't pay to renew the subscription, but if I get another free offer, I will definitely use it.

scem0

Jul 14, 2003, 12:06 PM

no, not anymore, although I love reading a MacWorld or a MacAddict every once in a while.

scem0

jg3

Jul 14, 2003, 01:16 PM

Originally posted by thebossisback
I subscribe to Macaddict, but i wont renew my subscription because their magazine has gotten worse in the last year and it isnt very informative anymore

Yeah, same here. My last issue will arrive in a month. It's kinda fun, but they focus too much on the fun and not enough on useful info. I've had enough. :(

Jerry Spoon

Jul 14, 2003, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by thebossisback
I subscribe to Macaddict, but i wont renew my subscription because their magazine has gotten worse in the last year and it isnt very informative anymore
Stole the words out of my mouth. I think it's been going down hill since they've changed editors. It's not a bad magazine, but it definitely isn't what it used to be.

mrsebastian

Jul 14, 2003, 01:37 PM

i dumped my subscription to macworld quite a while ago. though there are always a few usefull things in the magazines, they're just too darn slow! by the time the magazine comes out, the news in there is usually a month old :mad: sorry macworld, you're sol on me ever subscribing again.

Rower_CPU

Jul 14, 2003, 01:47 PM

MacWorld and MacAddict

The news may be old, but some of the how-tos and tutorial articles are good. I doubt I'll be renewing my subscriptions when they expire, though.

yzedf

Jul 14, 2003, 01:51 PM

No computer mags anymore. MacWorld for a short while, 2 years ago or so (right around OS X 10.0 beta release).

Although I still get CycleWorld, Sport Rider, TWO, Fast Bikes, and a few other motorcycle mags. My passion for 2 wheels and a motor is much older, and stronger, than my passion for computers. :cool:

FriarTuck

Jul 14, 2003, 02:02 PM

I get MacAddict and MacWorld.

MacAddict is not as much fun for me as it used to be, but it seems they have figured out their role in the dead tree/web marketplace and play to their strength -- the "how to" article. I learn something useful just about every month.

Anybody see the Staff Video on the latest disc, the one with the iPod commercial spoof? That may be the worst commercially produced video I have ever seen. And the amount of software on the disk has dropped by more than half.

I guess the biggest thing I get from MacWorld is a glimpse of how Macs are used by people who use them for a living. And I find some retailers and products in their classifieds that I wouldn't know about otherwise.

tazo

Jul 14, 2003, 02:09 PM

technically its not a mac magazine, but:

Smart Computing. They have interesting articles and are not too criticall of the windows iPod :) Plus the subscription was a gift.

But macaddict seems to have good articles, one of these days i might subscrbe to them.

Das

Jul 14, 2003, 02:21 PM

Used to subscribe to 2, but found them more than 2 months behind in news like the new systems. Heck, by the time they got to reviewing a system, the successor would be announced. Their how to guides never supplied me with more info than a good google search. I did like the CDs though, for any non-broadband user, they are helpful. I'd pay for one if they supplied online portions with it that were more up to date like new system reviews (w/benchmarks galore) and such.

XnavxeMiyyep

Jul 14, 2003, 03:26 PM

I guess I'm the only one who gets MacHome...:(

Doctor Q

Jul 14, 2003, 03:37 PM

When MacUser was around, I subscribed to MacUser and Macworld and read them both.

Then Macworld gobbled up MacUser, so I subscribed only to Macworld and read only that one.

Then I started reading news online at MacCentral every morning. So now I subscribe to Macworld and often forget to read it.

hsilver

Jul 14, 2003, 04:13 PM

MacAddict. The discs have a lot of great little shareware and freeware programs and many of the articles contain information that is linked to the software.

pimentoLoaf

Jul 14, 2003, 04:58 PM

iCreate press release (http://www.paragon.co.uk/pressrelease34.html)

Very slick UK Mac-azine w/CD inside the back cover. Available at Barnes & Noble stores in the US.

Fender2112

Jul 14, 2003, 06:43 PM

Originally posted by idea_hamster
Only Mac Design

The tips are great and quite often useful. Are they available on the web? Yup. Do I enjoy having the paper mag? Well, at least until I get that T-1 line in the throne room....

A T-1 in the throne? Now that's a Mac addict! :)

Rower_CPU

Jul 14, 2003, 06:45 PM

Originally posted by Fender2112
A T-1 in the throne? Now that's a Mac addict! :)

Airport works for me. ;)

tazo

Jul 15, 2003, 12:04 AM

*imagines anything better then surfing internet on the couch......*

edenwaith

Jul 15, 2003, 08:31 AM

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
I don't get Mac magazines for Mac news (the news in those mags is always a month old), but for the reviews, how-tos, and features.

MacAddict is, by far, the most entertaining Mac Mag. They actually have some fun while writing the thing.

MacWorld's got lots of good info, but it's so dry. If they got rid of Andy Inhakto's editorial, I'd probably quit reading (that's the biggest reason I bother with MacWorld).

I'm the other way around with Andy Inhakto. I can't stand his ramblings...he just seems to whine and not do much else. (But I'm not forced to read his dribble, either) When he was writing the game section for MacWorld, it was awful because he just whined or reviewed old arcade games. The past year or two since he stopped reviewing the games have dramatically improved, though, with several game reviews per month.

But I do agree that I often read my Mac magazines (4 of them: MacWorld, MacAddict, Mac Design, Mac Tech) for the side articles, tips, tutorials, and reviews, and not so much on the news, especially since the print seems to be several weeks behind. If a new major product is released at the beginning of the week and the magazine issue comes out at the end, it won't report the news yet. Wait until next month.

edenwaith

Jul 15, 2003, 08:42 AM

Originally posted by jg3
Yeah, same here. My last issue will arrive in a month. It's kinda fun, but they focus too much on the fun and not enough on useful info. I've had enough. :(

I've only been receiving MacAddict for a few months, but I enjoy some of the playfulness, somewhat similar to the editors of PC Gamer. However, with PCG, I've become pretty sick of their "We know best, so nah-nah on you" attitude. Having fun is one thing...getting snotty and cocky is another thing.

pretentious

Jul 15, 2003, 08:57 AM

I'm the other way around with Andy Inhakto. I can't stand his ramblings.

I agree, I much preferred Pogue when he was writing the back section, if Pogue was still writing for MacWorld they would still have my subscription.

wdlove

Jul 15, 2003, 01:25 PM

Does anyone know why MacAddict and MacWorld print a magazine a month in advance? It ends up that the infomation given is in reality 2 months old. It gets to be frustrating at times.

Doctor Q

Jul 15, 2003, 05:52 PM

Originally posted by wdlove
Does anyone know why MacAddict and MacWorld print a magazine a month in advance? It ends up that the infomation given is in reality 2 months old. It gets to be frustrating at times. Every print magazine has this problem. The submission deadlines have to leave time for editing, composition, printing, and distribution. That's why you often see the phrase "by the time you read this" in news articles. The poor author is writing words now that may be obsolete by the time they are read.

News publications and computer publications have the worst "lead-time" problems because of the rapid rate of change of their target subjects.

wdlove

Jul 15, 2003, 07:05 PM

Originally posted by Doctor Q
Every print magazine has this problem. The submission deadlines have to leave time for editing, composition, printing, and distribution. That's why you often see the phrase "by the time you read this" in news articles. The poor author is writing words now that may be obsolete by the time they are read.

News publications and computer publications have the worst "lead-time" problems because of the rapid rate of change of their target subjects.

It would seem that in the 21st Century the process could be speeded up. I thought that the majority of the work is done by computer. The current reality seems to be more like the 60's.

medea

Jul 15, 2003, 07:13 PM

the only mac magazine I pick up is macdirectory and I browse through mac design every once in a while, otherwise most of the news etc. in the mac mags are available on the internet well in advance.

King Cobra

Jul 15, 2003, 09:02 PM

Speaking of obsolete words, that reminds me:

There's a new 2004 Neon expected due out :D

The same pattern goes for my Coinage magazines, which I gave up the subscribing for the May edition. Some are released a month young. Others are released two months young.

Premature releases are on nearly all magazines. It is sad, when you think about it.

Doctor Q

Jul 15, 2003, 10:12 PM

When it was in print, my favorite Mac Magazine was Publish, which was a well-produced magazine about all aspects of offline and online publishing. Even through it was not Mac-specific (publishers use both Macs and Windows PCs), I think I learned more about Mac applications (Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand) and Mac hardware (Power Macs, printers, cameras, scanners) than in any of the general-purpose Mac publications I read. Alas, Publish turned into an online-only site (http://www.publish.com/) focused more specifically on web publishing, and it isn't nearly as interesting or informative as the hardcopy magazine was.

Rolf

Nov 7, 2003, 08:11 AM

I just subscribed to iCreate. Love the magazine, full of usefull information, and specifically on the iApps. I'm 'just' an amateur. working mostly with the standard Apple Apps.

I'm looking for the nrs 1 and 2 of iCreate...if someone has them, or know where I could get (used) copies, please drop me a note !!

wdlove

Nov 7, 2003, 07:35 PM

iCreate sounds like an interesting magazine. Do you know where is is avaiable? I'm like you Rolf an amateur.

TheMacOS.com

Mar 17, 2004, 05:43 PM

macworld

Dont Hurt Me

Mar 17, 2004, 06:25 PM

I just got this months Macaddict but you talk about a stale issue, they had nothing to report from Apple so it was filled with mostly nothing. Guess i can use it to absorb water rings off of glasses.

bennetsaysargh

Mar 17, 2004, 07:06 PM

I'm still getting my free macworld :) I doubt I will renew simple because its a nice magazine but i get all my news here
i get the free macworld magazines also. i don't use it for news. i use it for articles and stuff like that. bog articles i don't like reading online.

well, now that i think about it, the April edition is sent out in early March, meaning it has February's information.

Doctor Q

Mar 18, 2004, 01:35 PM

I used to get Macweek when it was a printed magazine. Anybody remember it?

I think it is where Ric Ford's MacInTouch column came from.

Foxer

Mar 18, 2004, 01:59 PM

I subscribe to MacWorld and buy MacAddict. The news is useless, but I love the reviews and tips. Also, occasionally I learn about some product that I otherwise missed. The most recent issue of each were low-points, but I blame that on no new hardware to review. I also find the hardware speed comparisons in MacWorld to be illustrative.

wdlove

Mar 18, 2004, 02:12 PM

I used to get Macweek when it was a printed magazine. Anybody remember it?

I think it is where Ric Ford's MacInTouch column came from.

If that is the magazine that I remember, wasn't it published in England?

wordmunger

Mar 18, 2004, 02:27 PM

I picked up a MacWorld in an airport, maybe 6 months ago, and it was $8.95. I put it back down and bought a cheaper mag. $8.95! That's almost as much as a subscription.

Doctor Q

Mar 18, 2004, 03:14 PM

If that is the magazine that I remember, wasn't it published in England?I found an old issue. (Gee, I really need to clean house more often!)

It says "MacWEEK is a registered trademark of Mac Publishing LLC. Permission to quote from an article should be directed to Ziff-Davis Inc., New York."

And the mailing address for the magazine is Riverton New Jersey.

blackfox

Mar 19, 2004, 09:02 AM

Macdirectory, sometimes macworld, macdesign...don't subscribe though, I prefer the monthly ritual of going down to the newsstand and browsing...reading these posts, I might check out iCreate...I am surprised that more people have not listed macdirectory...to each his own, I guess

trainguy77

Mar 19, 2004, 10:36 PM

macworld!!!!! :)

wdlove

Mar 20, 2004, 12:57 PM

Sparky's

Mar 23, 2004, 08:42 PM

I personally buy Mac Addict and Mac World and my boss pays for subscriptions to Element-K Journals such as Inside Photoshop, Inside Illustrator, etc. we get online stuff from them as well. Such as:

********** THE TIP **********

Make editing text easier (QuarkXPress 5.x/6.0)

When the Opaque Text Box Editing preference setting is active,
selected text box backgrounds become white, or should we say
opaque. This makes it easier for you to edit a text story when
it's placed on top of other items on the page. You can find this
setting in the Preferences dialog box on the Display panel
(QuarkXPress > Preferences on the Mac, Edit > Preferences in
Windows). Inactive by default, simply select the Opaque Text Box
Editing check box. Then, click OK.

I do like the tech stuff in Mac Addict and the How To section.