It's no secret the magazine industry is having a hard time staying afloat, as major titles folded by the dozen in 2009. And though Hearst made ears perk up when it said that it would launch Skiff, an e-reader service of sorts, in 2010, a lot of questions remain.
The publisher of Harper's Bazaar and O, The Oprah magazine said that Skiff brings magazines to smartphones and Kindle-like devices. Plus, the Skiff service and digital store will feature a selection of newspapers, books and magazines.
Still, it's unclear whether I'll be able to download rival publications (those from Conde Nast, like Vogue), through Skiff.
Even though Skiff will be ad-supported, who will use it?
Although digital media is cheaper to produce than print, there's "no proof" something like Skiff "is going to sell products," Steve Cohn, editor-in-chief of magazine industry publication Media Industry Newsletter, remarked during a recent phone conversation with me.
"It might be very good for Cosmo," Cohn said. "But for something like Bazaar that has great photography, are you going to want to read it on an e-reader? I couldn't see it being for Town & Country or Harper's Bazaar. Both have older audiences and I don't know if they'll embrace this technology."
We'll just have to wait and see!
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