Growth of iPad Magazine sales

Submitted by Hans Janssen on 21 January 2011

ABC recently published an article about, in their view, the decline of iPad magazine sales.

It was surprising to see how quickly this article was picked up by other media-oriented blogs. It almost seemed as if some bloggers were relieved by the news, as if it was an indication the tablet revolution would pass by. Well folks, looking at the traffic going through our systems, the revolution has only started!

First the ABC message: they based their statement on Condé Nast's figures and Condé Nast's alone which, to me, is slightly naive. Everyone who bought an iPad wanted to buy the first Wired issue. Not so much because you wanted to read it, but because you wanted to experience this interactive magazine. 100.000 downloads. Something that was simply impossible to continue. Of course it shows a decline. Same as for the other Conde Nast titles: GQ, Glamour and Vanity. They all had their 'launch-effect', although the decline in their downloads is relatively small. These titles (as well as some others) lack simple subscription functionality which is mandatory for sustainable growth.

Looking at the data traffic going through our Content Delivery Service we see a different trend. We took the same 10 (paid for) consumer magazines that we reported on earlier and calculated their data-traffic in September, October, November and December.

Data traffic consumer, paid-for magazines

The result was simple: growth. Although I have to admit there were two titles among these ten showing the same 'launch-effect' the Condé titles experienced. But, overall, there is no doubt: the amount of magazine sales is increasing and is increasing rapidly.


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Data with no context
Submitted by David Shiba (not verified) on 05 February 2011 - 18:34
For those of us who are on the front lines of digital disruption that the iPad has created, having real, substantive information on iPad edition (I won't call them magazine) sales is critical. While impressed by Woodwing's work, this graph is of little value. There is no context, no sense of proportion or absolute numbers. It does a disservice to those of us who are eager to learn. Please do share more substantive information!
Publisher's data
Submitted by Hans Janssen (not verified) on 06 February 2011 - 09:58
David, Thanks for your reply. I understand the need for context and more detailed information. The problem is though that WoodWing can't share these details. This data belongs to the publishers. WoodWing can share trends, but we can't share any specifics. Hans

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