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The future of Magazines [H]Consumer writes about the imminent demise of the print magazine industry. It's all about economics. The web allows publishers to delve into stories to a much greater depth than print simply because the cost to produce and distribute extra words is negligible in the online world. The same can't be said about print. Every 700 words or so in a magazine adds about one page. Guess what? it costs money to ship tons of paper around the country. So, given the right reach, online publishers can pay more for writers while spending less on print and logistics. Speed to market is another problem. In the old days it might take weeks or even months for reviews to get to the marketplace. Now, turn-around time is down to hours. Think of it this way, if you have a new tech product with a shelf life of six months or so, what channels are you going to favour with your marketing? Slow print magazines or near instantaneous websites? Here is how [H]COnsumer writer Josh Norem sums up the trend: All of this is not good news for the old guard of magazine editors, obviously, but in most cases, magazines are still superior to websites when it comes to the quality of writing, photos, and layout. There is definitely a level of pride and craftsmanship (not to mention time and money) that goes into every page of every magazine issue. But will nice photos, a good presentation, and great writing be enough to save the magazines in the long run? For the sake of my former colleagues, and friends, in the magazine business, I hope so. But a more sober assessment would be that tech magazines aren’t long for this world, and simply cannot compete with their online contemporaries. www.gagglescape.com