04-30-2008, 11:45 AM

Does anyone here read an mac magazine?
i have tried macformat and macworld...
just wondering whats the best value for money?

04-30-2008, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by Avenged Origami

just wondering whats the best value for money?

My personal opinion? None of them.
By the time the magazine hits the newsstands, the articles are old news.

You could have had all of those stories and more by subscribing to an RSS feed or just keeping and eye on the internet.

The software discs (read: coasters) they include don't have any great software on them, plus you could again simply get those titles and trials online.

04-30-2008, 12:24 PM

In my opinion, MacFormat is the best of the bunch. Very well written, and lots of good technical content. It is pricey, but IMHO, worth it.

To D3v1L80Y's point, the technical reviews of the Macs themselves are always dated by the time you get the magazine. However, the rest of the information presented per issue is almost always of value. Great reviews of software, widgets, printers, cameras, etc.

I personally have benefited many times from things I found in MacFormat, most recently their review of the Logitech Quickcam Pro for Notebooks. This 2 Mp (a real 2 Mp camera, not a 1.3 with interpolation) webcam does not tout itself as being Mac compatible but it is, and MacFormat reviewed it's use with Skype, which is stellar.

I think MacFormat is an excellent publication, and worth the coin. I have sampled a wide range of Mac magazines when I first switched, and settled on MacFormat as the best of them. Buy a few copies at the newsstand and see if you don't agree.

By the way, for you Linux heads out there, MacFormat's sister publication, LinuxFormat, is also an excellent magazine. The the higher degree of "obscurity" that reigns in the Linux world, I find LinuxFormat to be an even more compelling value than MacFormat. I wouldn't be without either frankly.

04-30-2008, 02:01 PM

I get pretty much all the Mac news I want right here on M-F!!

I think the same could be said about any current events and news magazines. Outside of professional periodicals and magazines with in-depth researched stories, most information in magazines can be found online long before they hit news stands. With the advent of instant information on the internet and emerging technologies like ebook readers, I think magazines will become out of date. Internet publication is more profitable anyway when you take out the cost of the production and distribution of paper products.

04-30-2008, 02:03 PM

I used to subscribe to iCreate and I still like browsing it when I can.

04-30-2008, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by D3v1L80Y

The software discs (read: coasters) they include don't have any great software on them, plus you could again simply get those titles and trials online.

Good point, but I must second mac57's point. MacFormat is a great magazine. It features loads of tutorials and information and their podcast is great.

04-30-2008, 06:20 PM

I like MacLife and MacWorld.

04-30-2008, 07:20 PM

I also like Macworld Magazine.

04-30-2008, 09:25 PM

I like Mac|Life, MacWorld, and Wired (they usually have mac related topics), and there's another one that I can't remember, but it was just in my head, until the phone rang...