The Economist has taken the digital leap of faith by launching their brand new iPhone and iPad app today in a move to keep up with other magazines that have gone down the electronic route.
The best known current affairs magazine has not gone down the same route as other media outlets, instead of charging current subscribers extra they offer it for free so long as you are a online or print subscriber. This should undoubtedly increase readership, a move which the Times online failed to do.
The brand new digital version of the magazine brings in rich media sources like audio, the articles are read out by professional voice artists so you can get on with something else whilst still keeping up to date with current affairs. Another neat feature comes in the form of page caching; users can store articles to read at a later date.
If you are not a subscriber digital editions can be purchased on an ad-hoc basis for £3.49 per issue, that’s about a 50p saving compared to the paper version of the magazine – nice.
