CAR, Getaway magazines to be available on iPad

South African online publisher RamsayMedia has announced it is to make digital editions of its titles available on iPad “within weeks”. The media house says it has signed an agreement with Zinio, a global leader in digital publishing technology, to publish CAR and Getaway using Zinio’s iPad App platform.

The publisher says this move is the “latest development in RamsayMedia’s drive to deliver content to consumers using multiple touchpoints”. Memeburn understands that the country’s biggest online publisher News24 is also rumoured to have created a custom iPad application which will be imminently available. The soon-to-be available application is in the process of being accepted by the Apple app store.

RamsayMedia says it has “moved vigorously” into expanding its offering into new media channels since the company rebranded itself as a multimedia owner in 2008.

The availability of the August issues of CAR and Getaway on iPad –- at less than the price of the print edition -– was “an exciting new step for the company”, Lowe said.

Raul Suarez, Zinio’s managing director, said the iPad application was an opportunity to attract new international readers.

“RamsayMedia is leading the way for South African content by leveraging our global reach and pay-once-read-anywhere Zinio Unity platform. New customers from around the world will soon be able to enjoy access the media house’s top magazines on an expanding range of devices.”

Zinio is the foremost marketer of digital magazines and books globally. With over 60 000 titles available in its e-store, it is responsible for 90 per cent of digital subscriptions in the US and more than half of those worldwide.

The iPad’s touch-screen tablet computer is marketed particularly for e-book, -magazine and -newspaper reading, with graphics, music, games and production applications being high among its attractions. It has taken the world by storm since its release at the beginning of April this year, selling more than two million units in the first two months of its launch.

The Zinio App for iPad (available free, together with iPhone, though the iTunes store) allows readers to move easily between text, interactive graphics, animated illustrations and videos — enlarging photos, launching web pages and sharing articles with friends — all with a simple touch of the screen.