02-16-2011, 12:37 PM

Sorry all for jumping in, please be aware that the prices shown on our newsstand are actually set by the publishers, we do not actually have a saying in the pricing process, we can make recommendations although the publishers are the ones making the final decision.

02-16-2011, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by Razormac

Macworld digital version is $19.99/year. I paid something around $20 for a two year hard copy subscription (been a while so I can't remember exactly what I paid).
Honestly, my main complaint with digital is what I see unjustified higher price. Having said that I will probably not use Zinio for renewals or future purchases if there are any other options.
I got an email offer of 20% off Macworld from Zinio, followed the link and subscribed and ended up being charged the full price. It isn't worth my time and effort to chase after them for $4, but it left a sour taste in my mouth with regards to doing any future business with them.

I really like the idea of having full access to my magazine library without the stacks of back issues (my wife is always asking me if we can pitch old magazines--so far I have resisted). So, if the prices come down I will definitely go digital.

We are terribly sorry for this, if you don't mind could you please either send us a direct message on the forum with your contact details alternatively please feel free to send an email to support@zinio.com as we would like to resolve the issue and find out what went wrong. Also please keep in mind that there is usually a time frame attached to each offer just in case there is a possibility that the subscription was made after the end date of our offer.
Many thanks and again apologies!

02-16-2011, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Zinio

Sorry all for jumping in, please be aware that the prices shown on our newsstand are actually set by the publishers, we do not actually have a saying in the pricing process, we can make recommendations although the publishers are the ones making the final decision.

My complaint specific to Zinio was I got this email

"Extra 20% Off Top Mac Titles (Limited-Time Offer)"

from Zinio, followed the link and typed in the code word (I believe it was Macworld) but though it showed the discount I was still charged the full subscription price. Not, in my mind conducive to future business.

EDIT: I can see you replied to this issue while I was typing my first reply. I will follow up on your suggestion.

02-16-2011, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by Zinio

Sorry all for jumping in,

This is great that a *rep* has found this forum and is wanting to help. I am in another **Australia** Technology forum and there are reps from everywhere there. If there is a problem and member winge and ***** about the product, the rep has direct contact with the unhappy member.
Goes for my service provider. I had a problem and with in 1hr he was on my case and the problem was fast tracked . . . .

Well done to Zinio for taking the bull by the horns and conecting with there customers.
Needs to happen more in this day and age

Cheers

02-17-2011, 05:20 AM

Originally Posted by TattooedMac

This is great that a *rep* has found this forum and is wanting to help. I am in another **Australia** Technology forum and there are reps from everywhere there. If there is a problem and member winge and ***** about the product, the rep has direct contact with the unhappy member.
Goes for my service provider. I had a problem and with in 1hr he was on my case and the problem was fast tracked . . . .

Well done to Zinio for taking the bull by the horns and conecting with there customers.
Needs to happen more in this day and age

Cheers

Thank you for your kind comment , we appreciate any feedback we can get whether if it's good or bad. We know we're not perfect though the good news is that we can definitely improve and especially with your help, by finding out what problems you encounter we know which areas we need to work on. [As per Bobtomay's earlier post our client notification emailing system definitely needs some improvement...]
So thank you again and please keep the complaints coming...just kidding hope there's not that many!

02-17-2011, 09:49 AM

I would give a +1 on Zinio customer service response so far. Regarding my previous posting, at this point I would not hesitate to do business with them again.

02-17-2011, 03:49 PM

It turns out the discount only applied to a few non-USA versions of Macworld. I didn't realize this and didn't get an obvious error when I did an in APP purchase of a subscription.
So it was my mistake after all. Kudos to Zinio for following up.

02-17-2011, 04:24 PM

Ok, I'm switching to iPad magazines for all my needs. You can keep lots and have zero clutter. However I just patent'ed t iPood. An iPad stand that attaches to the toilet for a better reading experience. It's make of aluminum and has a tp holder. Ha ha

02-18-2011, 12:48 AM

Originally Posted by Steve Adams

You can keep lots and have zero clutter.

Unless I'm mistaken that is only possible if you actually get to download the file to save them and not only read the magazines from their server.

02-18-2011, 03:02 AM

Originally Posted by Steve Adams

However I just patent'ed t iPood. An iPad stand that attaches to the toilet for a better reading experience. It's make of aluminum and has a tp holder. Ha ha

Interesting device.
Very interesting name too. And on that have a read of this article about a Aussie company that *once* had the name iPood for one of the items they sold. They dont name it iPood anymore, bc of Steve Apple Jobs

What's the difference between an iPod and an iPood? One letter says Apple.

Cheers

02-18-2011, 05:58 AM

Since there are some that still just don't get it, let me spell it out a little more.

With the new rule from Apple this week, there may not be so many magazine choices on your iDevices for much longer.

Among the content distributors this new ruling will affect, Zinio is one of those for whom this could be the death knell on your iDevice.

As a content distributor and one stop shop for your digital magazine purchasing, their content is available for you to read on your Windows or OS X computer, your iOS devices and now Android. Pay one time and read anywhere on whatever device you have.

If it doesn't spell the death of their business model and you think you've been paying high prices already, well, Apple just put a new 30% tax on them.

So, for that single $19.95 subscription you bought, with Apple's new 30% tax on every single purchase you make from them on your iDevice, it'll now cost you about $28.50 for that same subscription in order for Zinio to still bring in their $19.95.

That's right - $19.95 to Zinio and $8.55 to Apple for the privilege of reading your magazine on your iPad.

All of the companies providing content that we have come to know and love on our iDevices will have to increase their pricing structure in order to maintain the same profit margins.

Your Hulu Plus subscription at $7.99 just went up to $11.40.
Your Netflix subscription at $8.99 just went up to $12.83.
Your Audible subscription at $149.50 a year just went up to $213.49.
Your Audible subscription at $229.50 a year just went up to $327.73.
Your National Geographic subscription at $54 a year just went up to $77.11.
The Kindle reader app is now gone.
The Nook reader app is now gone.
The Marvel comics reader is now gone.
...


I'm sorry. But, until the ramifications of this new rule Apple has implemented this week comes into full fruition, I cannot conscientiously recommend an iPad for these purposes any longer.


Of course these are worst case pricing scenarios since not all sales would be through the app.

Audible, likely they will just remove their app from the app store and pricing will remain the same and they'll go on like they always have. You'll have to go to your computer to download, import into iTunes and then sync to your device instead of having their own app where you can download the content directly to your device.

For most of the rest, they'll have to bring in the actuaries to figure up what percentage of their total sales are made on iDevices and then raise their price across the board to every individual across every platform in order to cover the 30% tax from Apple on that percentage of sales. So even that Windows user that purchases content available for sell from an iOS app, that's never even looked at an Apple product, will be paying a tax to Apple without even knowing it.

The Kindle and Nook readers, no, sorry, you'll be saying adios to those apps on your iDevices as those will just be in the history books. This is another in Apple's efforts to get the balance of the book publishers they've not been able sign come to terms with them.

This could result in Amazon, B&N and others to now go the route of putting their apps on Cydia, requiring a lot more of us to jailbreak our devices to get the content we want.

02-18-2011, 07:51 AM

Thanks for posting that Bob.
I have been wondering what the ultimate result of this change would mean to me and I had come to similar conclusions,but hoped I was wrong or some middle ground would be worked out.

The end result if it plays out the way you have described is I will end up ditching my iPad (as much as I love it) and buying a Kindle or Perhaps a Nook.
My original justification for the iPad was as an eReader. Since it does so much more than just function as an eReader it was a slam dunk to get it over the Kindle.
But, if I can't use it as an eReader the way I want to I will probably get an 11 MBA for web surfing and such (ultimately cheaper than the iPad when you factor in the data plan I will no longer be paying) and the Kindle for reading.

Hope it doesn't come to that. Alternatively, not keen on jail breaking, but I would do that before I totally gave up.

02-18-2011, 08:30 AM

All I can say is, I do hope that I am wrong. Perhaps I'm reading way more into this than at first glance appears to be. At least I hope so. Only time will tell.

Have no idea at this point in time if it pans out in the worst case scenario which direction I may take. And, I'm not looking for an alternative yet. An MBA would be one option, although, Win 7 is a pretty nice OS and it's easy enough to go back to building my own rigs again. I haven't played with Linux in 4-5 years now. Is it ready for prime time yet?

I will say again, I really do like my iPad - a lot. But, if I lose the capabilities for which I purchased it, then it's time to move on to something else. And if that something else won't sync with OS X, well, my hand will have been forced.

02-18-2011, 08:35 AM

I think it's a little premature to be worrying about the demise of publishing on the iPad. At this point, it remains to be seen how it will play out, who will or will not actually be impacted, and how the rules are ultimately interpreted since there is some gray area.

Give it time, see what happens. Because until we see what actually happens, anything else is just complete conjecture.

I can virtually guarantee the "worst case scenario" won't happen. Why? Because either the rules aren't as bad or publishers won't care as much as we think, or Apple will certainly modify the rules if publishers start pulling out wholesale from the iOS ecosystem.

This most likely will ultimately turn out to be the latest version of "antennagate" in the end. A lot of initial weeping and gnashing of teeth and it will play out to be a non-issue for most. That's my prediction.

03-04-2011, 04:02 PM

We are very sorry for the inconvenience we caused, Zinio is currently experiencing interruptions to some of our core web services. An overview and our strategy for remediation are provided on our blog: ziniophile | The blog for anyone who's ever loved a magazine.. We truly appreciate your patience and support as we work to return our services online.