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In thinking about content for the iPad (books, magazines, movies, etc.) my instincts and experience tell me that having a unique product in the App Store should drive more sales than an app that aggregates premium content. That's because I believe the value of keyword search is greater than the value of aggregation  - it becomes difficult to effectively list all the aggregated content on the app's sales page and harder for consumers to find that content.

Apparently, I was wrong.

Digital magazine provider Zinio just became the number one app in the iPad news category, beating out all other magazine and news titles. (Disclosure: Zinio is a client of mine.)

There are those in the social graph that have been panning individual apps for magazines like GQ, Men's Health, Outside, etc. While they're all great publications, the usefulness of having an icon dedicated to a single publication seems excessive for the privilege of reading an issue.

Furthermore, a magazine title arguably has a limited shelf-life. Sure, there's some evergreen content in just about every publication, but currency is always an important factor in selling magazines. With that in mind, it's tough to justify spending the same amount of money on a single issue of a magazine as it is to spend it on, say, an application that will provide utility for months or even years.

I never doubted the success of Zinio on iPad (I wouldn't have taken them on as a client otherwise). They have the largest selection of digital magazines anywhere and have developed a platform for making magazines more than simply digital replicas of printed magazines, but fully interactive (at the publisher's discretion, of course). So, other than the variety of titles they provide, why have they become so successful after only a week beyond the arrival of the iPad?

Consider this: When is a number not just a number? When it's next to another. 

That's to say that relative cost - and relative value - creates confusion in the mind of a consumer. By allowing the shopping process to take place within the Zinio app (and/or on Zinio.com), magazines are now priced alongside other magazines. That comparison is much more relevant than, say, weighing the price of an app against the price of a magazine.

So, does that mean that Zinio will be less successful over time as more individual magazine apps enter the App Store, thereby creating a better environment for relative comparison? Hardly.

In addition to offering a variety of titles, Zinio brings consistency of usability. The expectation that a digital magazine will behave a certain way is important to a consumer. If each time you purchased an ebook - from Amazon, B&N or Apple, for instance - would you expect the experience to be radically different. Of course not.

However, at least at the moment, that appears to be the case with digital magazine apps. As publishers are still only just experimenting with their own applications, they're also experimenting with the user experience, each with their own approach.

In the aggregated media application model that Zinio provides, magazines will have interactivity and rich media, but the user experience will remain consistent with only the occasional experimental feature.

Ultimately, competitors may follow Zinio in their format but that can only be bode well for magazines as a category. After a period of decline in consumption of printed magazines, it means that people will have found them relevant again - only in digital form.

Some major book publishers (HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster) have opted for Amazon's "Agency Model" to sell their eBooks. Simply put, this means that the publisher sets the price and Amazon sells then delivers it at that price.

However, it also means that Amazon is not the seller anymore, and they've gone through the trouble to let you know that they have no control over the pricing of a particular title.

This also has tax implications. 

Amazon is very careful about where it keeps distribution centers and any other physical presences in the United States. That's partly because once the company has a physical presence in a state, they have to collect state sales tax.

However, since Amazon is not the seller of the eBook I recently purchased and HarperCollins has a physical presence in the state where I live, Amazon must collect tax on their behalf.

So even though I may no longer be paying for shipping on a physical book, I now have to pay sales tax on it, depending on the publisher.

Thanks, HarperCollins.

11:27pm, Feb 22
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11:18pm, Feb 22
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9:50pm, Feb 22
Danish newspaper fakes iPad on front page http://ow.ly/1a9Zi

9:50pm, Feb 22
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9:45pm, Feb 22
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9:40pm, Feb 22
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9:35pm, Feb 22
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9:30pm, Feb 22
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9:25pm, Feb 22
Development of Apple’s iPad Chip Estimated at $1B http://ow.ly/1a9zR

9:20pm, Feb 22
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9:15pm, Feb 22
The Bloom Box: a power plant for the home (video) http://ow.ly/1a9xQ

9:10pm, Feb 22
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9:05pm, Feb 22
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9:00pm, Feb 22
Sony confirms plans for consumer-friendly 3D cameras [Why?] http://ow.ly/1a9uc

8:55pm, Feb 22
T-Mobile Pulse Mini does cheap, tiny, prepaid Android for Europe http://ow.ly/1a9tN

8:41pm, Feb 22
Wal-Mart buying Vudu streaming movie service? (update: yes!) http://ow.ly/1a9sn

5:07pm, Feb 22
Annual Escalating Patent Fee Proposal http://ow.ly/1a5za

10:07am, Feb 22
I'm at SoundBoard Consulting Group. http://4sq.com/bFA1QL

9:45am, Feb 22
The Impending 3G Network Apocalypse [3G Wireless] http://ow.ly/19q0F

8:22am, Feb 22
Liked "New iPad news blog: Exploring the Apple iPad and Tablet Computing | The Magical Tablet" http://ff.im/-gmjMh

12:09am, Feb 21
@carter69 Mine will sleep as long as I do but I'm dog-sitting for my SIL's Springer Spaniel. He's SO high strung. Still a pup, really.

12:03am, Feb 21
I hope the dogs will sleep past 6am tomorrow morning. I should get myself to bed, just in case...

11:34pm, Feb 20
Incipio Cases for iPad (Gallery) http://ow.ly/19x6y

10:03pm, Feb 20
Study: Ages of social network users http://ow.ly/19wiJ

10:00pm, Feb 20
Uncommon to Release Custom iPad Cases [Form Fitting iPad Case] http://ow.ly/19wfh

9:21pm, Feb 20
@shatch I had wheat-free pizza with sausage from Roman Gourmet. Again. ;)

9:17pm, Feb 20
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8:51pm, Feb 20
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8:48pm, Feb 20
Toyota commercial during olympics: "Meet the new Sienna on YouTube" [super]: youtube.com/sienna

8:43pm, Feb 20
@shatch Get the Indigo burger with swiss, mushrooms and grilled onions! ;)

8:22pm, Feb 20
Doood. Bobsledding! ;)

8:07pm, Feb 20
@tekchic Yes, but it's like communicating with a high schooler! ;)

8:03pm, Feb 20
I find it funny that my wife finally has a full QWERTY keyboard (albeit on-screen) and she still sends email with SMS abbreviations.

7:54pm, Feb 20
@jgormlyjr I agree - iPad Pre-orders are likely rumor. Apple likes lines out the door during product launches - pre-orders inhibit that.

7:36pm, Feb 20
Just added the ConnectOne Wi-Reach Classic to @gdgt! http://gdg.to/9cPmve

7:36pm, Feb 20
Just added ConnectOne to @gdgt! http://gdg.to/cK2Reo

7:31pm, Feb 20
Just added the Logitech Anywhere Mouse MX to my want list on @gdgt! http://gdg.to/RDjUC

7:25pm, Feb 20
Just added the Nike Nike+ iPod Sport Kit to my have list on @gdgt! http://gdg.to/979Ph6

6:46pm, Feb 20
Does anyone else feel like Gmail's spam filters have been overly aggressive lately? Lots of stuff getting caught that shouldn't.

4:11pm, Feb 20
(WOW - 3x Optical Zoom!) Samsung's HMX-U20 and HMX-U15 Camcorders Shoot 1080p On the Cheap [Camcorders] http://ow.ly/19sFj

4:04pm, Feb 20
Secrets Of Old Spice’s The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (Make sure you watch both videos) http://ow.ly/19swW

3:47pm, Feb 20
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3:20pm, Feb 20
Olympic bullying drives goggle-maker to verse http://ow.ly/19rI4

3:15pm, Feb 20
FirstTake: Facebook PayPal Deal Spurs International Ad Sales http://ow.ly/19rGy

3:05pm, Feb 20
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3:00pm, Feb 20
How The iPad Will Transform Mainstream Media (But NOT The Web) http://ow.ly/19rFe

2:58pm, Feb 20
RT @Genuine: Constant Contact now has a Wordpress plugin for your blog for your email marketing plans.

2:55pm, Feb 20
5 Terms That Signify The Future Of Mobile Marketing http://ow.ly/19rF8

2:50pm, Feb 20
E-book Tools Developer Vook Lands $2.5 Million [eBooks with Video] http://ow.ly/19rDO

2:45pm, Feb 20
Why Amazon Should Smile at Losing E-Book Market Share [Smaller Piece, Bigger Pie] http://ow.ly/19rCk

2:30pm, Feb 20
iPad Textbooks: Will Cool Tech Win on Campus? http://ow.ly/19rzP

2:17pm, Feb 20
SXSW Interactive Adds Last-Minute iPad Panel Discussion [SXSW] http://ow.ly/19rry

1:57pm, Feb 20
QR-Code Generator http://ow.ly/19rds

1:41pm, Feb 20
RT @DaveHamilton: Migrating the kids old windows machine over to the Mac with @vmwarefusion's migrator. Simple and elegant... I like it!
1:35pm, Feb 20
Sezmi Open For Business in L.A. [HomeEntertainment] http://ow.ly/19qSd

1:23pm, Feb 20
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1:18pm, Feb 20
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12:13pm, Feb 20
RT @armano: IPhones are great weapons in the battle of poor retail customer service. They waste your time and you surf the web.

12:04pm, Feb 20
Setting Aviary Free [As in Beer] http://ow.ly/19pRT

11:34am, Feb 20
RT @pblackshaw: You know your a dad when GoGurt suddenly becomes your favorite snack. #proudpadre

11:33am, Feb 20
Ultimate Pocket Camcorder Comparison [Pocket Camcorders] http://ow.ly/19pxc

11:31am, Feb 20
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10:50pm, Feb 16
$1000 iPhone law exam review app sends traditional publisher running for cover http://ow.ly/186CV

10:45pm, Feb 16
TUAW review: Create perfect self-portraits with Self Image http://ow.ly/186AH

10:40pm, Feb 16
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10:22pm, Feb 16
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9:12pm, Feb 16
@caseyferrier Agreed, FB is huge for brands. Major shift for a brand to put media dollars behind a web destination that's not their own.

8:53pm, Feb 16
Just saw a commercial for Uniball pens. The featured URL? Their Facebook fan page - NOT their corporate home page. #marketing #socialmedia

8:42pm, Feb 16
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8:26pm, Feb 16
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7:55pm, Feb 16
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7:52pm, Feb 16
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7:48pm, Feb 16
Yoga to reduce prison sentences http://ff.im/-g3waM

7:20pm, Feb 16
@mrosone has joined twitter! Make him feel welcome.

5:31pm, Feb 16
Sleep Talkin' Man shares his somniloquies http://ff.im/-g39ph

4:34pm, Feb 16@gkrue
Unfortunately, they haven't perfected the "Business End" of the Cocker Spaniel 9000. ;)

4:26pm, Feb 16
@gkrue Haven't you ever seen the Cocker Spaniel 9000? Behaves just like the real thing. ;)

4:13pm, Feb 16
My current working environment. That's not a pillow. http://post.ly/OCrQ

4:10pm, Feb 16
RT @stevegarfield: Heather Armstrong @dooce Signs on at HGTV http://bit.ly/98RY4d Congrats!

4:09pm, Feb 16
RT @mediatrustpete: RT @newmediageek In 2009, Digital #Coupon Growth Outpaces free standing inserts: http://ow.ly/17FFl #marketing

4:08pm, Feb 16
@billpalmer It can't beat the post-CES flu. ;) Hang in there!

3:56pm, Feb 16
RT @jabancroft: Meebo. It's free, multi-platform IM, stays logged in, uses push notifications, and works flawlessly. Get it. Now.

3:37pm, Feb 16
All the Smartphone OSes: A Beginners' Guide [Smartphones] http://ow.ly/17ZuJ

2:50pm, Feb 16
RIM demos new WebKit-based BlackBerry browser at MWC -- it's fast! -- Engadget http://ow.ly/17Y5w

2:45pm, Feb 16
Sony Dash given ability to stream TVs and movies from Netflix, new lease on life http://ow.ly/17Y37

2:44pm, Feb 16
Sleuthing uncovers the mystery of Kingston MicroSD cards' crappy QA http://ff.im/-g2HeT

2:44pm, Feb 16
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2:36pm, Feb 16
Verizon to allow unlimited Skype calling over 3G starting next month http://ow.ly/17Y7R

2:35pm, Feb 16
Macworld 2010: Fastmac's USB-enabled wall outlet

2:18pm, Feb 16
TUAW Gives Their Impressions of an iPad…Mockup http://ow.ly/17XMq

1:58pm, Feb 16
Nuance acquires MacSpeech http://ow.ly/17XrF

1:01pm, Feb 16
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11:29am, Feb 16
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10:58am, Feb 16
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10:40am, Feb 16
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