Tue, 10 May 2011 Macworld Secrets: The top 10 magazines on the iPad

The iPad is a brand great for viewing magazines. It allows readers to interact with articles in ways that aren’t possible in print, be they videos, slideshows or interactive presentations, or through direct links to relevant material available online. We don’t think the iPad is going to replace the printed word any time soon, but it’s intriguing to watch this fledgling industry. We recommend looking at the following iPad magazines.

1. Flipboard

Flipboard aggregates nine of your favourite online media sources, grabs content from links posted by your friends on Twitter and Facebook, and then presents that content to you in an easy-to-read, magazine-like format. It’s the ultimate personalised magazine experience. Unfortunately, the news sources you can choose from tend to be US-focused. Free

2. Zinio

Zinio is the digital equivalent of WHSmith. There are hundreds of titles to choose from, either as one-off downloads or digital subscriptions. Once you’ve found the magazine you want to read, download it, and then swipe through the pages in a variety of intuitive ways. It’s simple to search for the content that interests you, and the latest issue is delivered straight to your inbox. Magazines such as National Geographic have showcased impressive new interactive features. Free

3. Project

Project is Sir Richard Branson’s revolutionary multimedia magazine built for the iPad. It covers international culture, entertainment, design, business and travel, and includes “updating content”, which serves to keep it relevant until the next issue goes on sale. £1.79 an issue.

4. National Geographic Interactive

This interactive version of National Geographic magazine is available via Zinio. It offers all of the same content, including the stories and great photos, plus new elements including video, slideshows, extra photos, and interactive maps.

We love the gorgeous photography and various interactive elements. Unfortunately, it’s pretty expensive and only works in landscape orientation. £5.40 per issue.

5. Letter to Jane

This is an art/fashion magazine published by 26-year-old artist Tim Moore. While the big publishers are ploughing money into digital magazines, Moore created his own fashion magazine from scratch, taught himself Objective-C, and got his app approved by Apple. The content is presented in a simple and intuitive way. 59p per issue.

6. Wired

Wired worked closely with Adobe to create a fully interactive version of its magazine and was one of the first to launch with much fanfare. Every page in the issue is individually designed for viewing on the iPad screen in portrait or landscape orientation – and navigation is explained clearly. £2.39 per issue.

7. GoodFood magazine

We love the GoodFood recipe apps and the iPad version of the BBC’s GoodFood didn’t disappoint. The magazine’s app includes recipes presented as digital cook cards, videos displaying cooking techniques demonstrated by the GoodFood team, and a personalised shopping list. It works in landscape and portrait – text simply reflows and all functions work in both views. £1.79 per issue.

8. Guardian Eyewitness

The Guardian Eyewitness app is not, strictly speaking, a magazine, but it is updated daily and is definitely newsworthy. It shows the latest 100 pictures in the Guardian Eyewitness series and each picture displays a caption detailing the context of the photo, while a Pro Tip offers insights into how each photographer achieved the image. Free

9. Popular Science

The iPad edition of Popular Science magazine includes every story from the print magazine, completely redesigned for the iPad. We like the Browse mode that makes the text disappear so you can focus on the photography and illustrations. £2.99 per issue.

10. Macworld Express

Macworld Express is our very own iPad app with content from the magazine and Macworld.co.uk. With Macworld Express you can read the latest news, reviews, blogs and tutorials, and save articles for viewing when your iPad’s not online. The app is fully customisable, so if you’re more interested in news than reviews, you can change your personal MyMacworld content page so news articles are given precedence on the contents page. You can also pick the channel that’s most relevant for targeted information, so if you’re interested in the creative industries, there’s a dedicated area within the app for you. Free at launch.