Where have all the print magazines gone?

That was the question I asked myself when we were giving the Spark magazine library a much needed clear out the other week.  With New Media Age ceasing as a print publication and a few months previous, the likes of Computer Weekly and Microscope also going purely online, it does seem like we have reached a tipping point regarding the future of the traditional print magazine.

While a lot of people can get a bit nostalgic about the demise of print, there can be no denying that people’s consumption of media is changing and publishers are having to adapt.  We are certainly seeing a continuing growth in online publishing (for example, the Huffington Post launched its UK site this week) but also the growth of smartphones, iPads and Kindles is driving further media consumption through dedicated apps or interactive magazines.  Certainly, I have been impressed with some of the magazines I have read to date on the iPad as they have provided a fresh user experience.

I am certainly not going to write an obituary about the death of print just yet, but with Apple soon to launch its virtual newsstand service it may be another nail in the print coffin.