A Glimpse of the Future of Magazines is Esquired

I must say as a fan of magazines and a lover of print I was extremely excited to read that Esquire’s October cover is going to be digital . Everyone is so quick to say print is dead, but really we are at a point of transition, and transformation with everything media. I wrote a paper first semester on the future of magazines. I did a ton of research and asked a few seasoned professionals and came to the conclusion that 20 years from now magazines will still exist in a physical form, but not the way we are used to today. In my paper I explained there will be some type of device that recreates the physical feeling of having a magazine in hand, but receives a “feed” monthly of the new issue. I wrote a post a few months ago speaking about this paper (CLICK HERE- THE FUTURE OF MAGAZINES). My paper was actually part of a group project and we created a book, and each of us focused on a chapter and mine was the future of magazines providing in depth analysis and predictions supported by thorough research of the future of magazines. It is amazing to me that I am beginning to see my predicitons come to light slowly but surely. When I wrote the paper I had no idea that the technology to digitize a magazine already existed.

This post is quite lengthy but if you are a player in the world of media I am sure you love all this info as much as I do. SO….EXPAND this post to view information on Esquire’s revolutionary cover and to view a video of their EIC speaking of his view on innovating magazines.

To commemorate its 75th anniversary, the October issue of Esquire will feature a flexible electronic “paper” cover that allows words and images to scroll across it—a first for magazines, according to parent company Hearst.

In order to make the cover seem as much like paper as possible, E Ink used a flexible plastic to bind the device instead of glass, which is traditionally used in other LCD devices, Peruvemba said.

Creating the industry’s first magazine with an EPD cover doesn’t come cheap. While Hearst declined to reveal the final price tag, the publisher helped offset the cost by selling the inside cover ad to Ford, which also will utilize the EPD technology.

Hearst is also hoping to offset costs by upping the cover price. The special anniversary issue, only available on newsstands, will sell for $5.99—two dollars more than its normal cover price.

E Ink company– http://www.eink.com/

articles– http://www.foliomag.com/2008/technology-behind-esquire-s-electronic-anniversary-cover
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/media/21esquire.html