Custom PC digital edition now available
You can read Zinio copies on your PC or your iPad.
Zinio provides a digital facsimile of the issue, so it's laid out exactly as it is in the print edition with all the same content. You can then read the magazine on your PC or Mac, or via Zinio's free Reader App on the iPhone and iPad. You can zoom the pages, view them in fullscreen mode and the app also allows the reader to view all the pages of the magazine to be displayed at once so you can find a specific page with ease.
You can download issues for offline viewing and your purchases are saved and tracked by your Zinio account. And how much does it cost? Well, we're offering digital subscriptions at £35/$53.94 US for a year (12 copies). Single issues will cost £3.50/$5.40, compared to a newsstand price of £4.50/$12.25.
The current issue on sale via Zinio is issue 85. While Issue 86 has just become available in the shops, as Issue 85 features the ever popular PC Building Masterclass feature, we thought we'd start there. Issue 86 will be available early next week, and going forward, digital copies will be released at the same time as print copies.
Grab yourself something to read this weekend, and buy your digital copy now!
Of course, if you would like to subscribe to the paper issue of Custom PC magazine, that's cool too.
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79 Comments
Discuss in the forums ReplyI guess at least it's an option, anyway.
How does the price compare to paper copies?
Downloadable? What format, ie. is there any ereader app compatibility, or do Zinio have their own app, and on what platforms?
Neat to see you doing his though guys, was searching on some emag database a while ago to see if CPC was on there, but there was nothing from Dennis Pub.
It's more expensive (by £3 if I've done my math). Zinio support PC, Mac and iPad. They have their own reader aswell.
Personally, I prefer a printed magazine compared to an "e-mag", however it would be useful to have a copy on my iPhone for reference every now and then. Have you considered offering back-issues - older than 6 months e.g. 12 for £12?
Also, will old issues be available? I assume you've still got the PDFs (or equivalents?)
And finally, I assume the adverts will still be packed into the mag (not an annoyance, but more a consideration given the price - if adverts weren't in, I would understand the price, however if they are in there, then surely a higher profit is been made on the digital version compared to printed?)
I hope I'm not coming across as negative - I just thought I'd share my concerns :-P
** just to be clear, I know CPC is a business just like MS, Apple or even Argos, however obviously CPC depends upon it's readers and community! Personally I've directed a few mates to subscriptions/in-shop purchases of CPC**
It's only more expensive than a 12 month UK subscription and that's because we're able to discount those heavily as we can bill you via Direct Debit.
Single copies from Zinio are cheaper, and it's far cheaper for overseas readers as both a single copy and subscription.
This is a good point actually! I've noticed plenty of times people have requested information on international shipping - iirc, someone from Wales was complaining about availability and posting?
Paper and printing cost a lot less than you think. £3.50 seems fair to me for an issue of the mag that's digital.
I would like to put old issues on there, but it's actually quite a lot of work - you have to regenerate the PDFs from the original InDesign files on a page per page basis. We'll see how it sells and then look at getting the archive on there.
Adverts are still in the mag for the very practical reason that if you take them out, all the double page spreads get screwed up!
More than anything - this kind of thing just intrigues me :-P
I wonder if you could do a printed+digital combo for people like myself at an attractive price?
Also android would be nice!
Its either that or buy a copy and see how it is and then cancel subscription if I like it, I know its more expensive but to be hohnest I could pick and choose those I want.
Well, you will be looking at tech porn :)
Of course, no worries - happy to talk more over email if you want some info for your degree.
I would really like to do that - however, figuring out how to make it happen is a bit trickier than you might expect. It's probably something we'd need to wait till next year for, because we'd need a much more robust user account system here to track your account status; we also need to figure out how many copies we'll sell through Zinio, then do some kind of price model for it.
TL;DR: Yes, but not anytime soon.
Thanks
I was really looking to zinio as a solution to the problem of having magazines cluttering up the house, but sadly it seems it is not to be.
+1
Contemplating purchasing a subscription as I'm in Australia... But not sure about the fact that you can only use the Zinio Reader to read the magazine. I'd prefer a PDF format, but I assume it's their way of preventing piracy?
Suppose it's down to personal preference but I prefer to read the printed magazine than an ebook.
My thoughts exactly. A paper magazine has value to me, but if I had to read Custom PC on my PC, I wouldn't bother.
Cheers
Paul
Custom PC tends to focus on stuff that you can't find as well online, such as the Labs Tests and build a pc guides. It's not for everyone, but it's worth reading imo.
The following needs to happen before I consider it :
1. The Price. It needs to be less than the UK print subscription price. Simple as that. And if what the guy said above is true about it being £35 plus VAT, then its a rip off.
2. Why cant you just sell a PDF ? Or something else that I could easily view on an iPad.
3. Speaking of which... is an iPad or iPhone / Android app version planned.
4. For people who already subscribe to print, then they should get a discount.
Personally I think the pricing will kill this off pretty quick if you have to pay VAT on top of the prices quoted. Shame.
I'll be sticking with bit-tech for now ;)
Really though I would want a hard copy subscription plus pay a small extra fee for digital back up copy all in one price.
The price is too high for digital only. I agree with others that is should be no higher than a hard copy 12 month subscription.
The value is in the content not the media it comes on. Should I expect an 80% discount buying one of your photos digitally than getting it sent on a piece of paper?
To be honest, the pricing needs to change, because it actually does not make sense subscribing when it is all on the website in greater detail.
I know you guys are just dipping your toes in and it's only the UK guys complaining about the price but I see a future in this. As someone mentioned above it would be cool if these digital versions could have comments and active links or embedded videos. Maybe that's something more to do with the reader software than you guys but it would make me consider a tablet in the future (when the price and functionality of them makes sense). Actually a tablet is the only way I would use something like this so I will file it under "maybe in the future"
Hope it goes well (but seriously sort out that 12 month price)
Anyway, I'm going to be positive, some of your fancy print techniques can be hard to actually read !
At least on screen I'll not need my LED spotlight to decipher grey text on a "pretty" background.
dunx
P.S. Adding VAT on top is naughty
I had the November edition delivered to my door, the full page covers are a fresh change to the usual PC mags that seem to cram as much as they can on the cover. I also get PC Pro delivered to my work!
Well done Dennis!
Broken Window Fallacy
Why didn't you just publish it as EPUB?! There are EPUB readers for every platform out there, not another proprietary reader for another format we don't really need... or at least PDF?
And I doubt Zinio does this from the goodness of their heart, so I assume they take a commission on each sale, so I wouldn't be surprised once the numbers are crunched if Dennis make less profit on each digital sale than they do a hard copy.
Having said this, the cost still "feels" to high here in the UK, and as history has proven if it "feels" too high then people won't pay.
I'm sorry to say I agree with the comments on pricing though. At the moment it's great for international readers, but anyone considering a print or digital subscription will almost certainly go for the print version because it's both cheaper and nicer to read.
Almost everyone currently subscribed to the print version of CPC is going to ignore the digital edition completely because they already get a lovely printed copy through their door once a month.
The only way I see this working is to offer a digital-only subscription for a few pounds less than the print-only subscription and to offer a print-plus-digital subscription option for less than ten pounds more than the print-only subscription.
Unless this happens, I for one have no interest in a digital copy. As Rich said, it's the content that matters not the media. As a subscriber to the printed mag I've already got the content, so I'm not really taken with the idea of paying more than double my current subscription fee just to get that same content in another format alongside the paper copy.
heard of a site called AnandTech? they probably have some of the best build guide selections around, same goes for a lot of their lab testing and there free. My point is you can easily find this stuff on the net for free. The paper form is only good for people who dont have high speed internet or live the feel of a magazine. Making a tech magazine digital seems pointless because those who are able to read things online in the tech world is smart enough to know the sources where they can get it for free.
so your with me on this then .it aint just about the mag in print form , its about the print industry and all that it affects .good
the site should be updated then to put that in when saying its £3.50 or £35 when it is Not will piss buyers off after they have reg'ed and it says now you got to add VAT (that be 20% soon) not like we are in the USA states where you have to add sales tax
edit
to add to that even asks for your credit card info before totals, that in its self is the incorrect way to do it
---------------
i wish to confirm that the prices at gb.zinio.com have VAT or not (when they Fully well know they should be in the UK) i have emailed them as well to ask
so why would you buy it?
Please update This site to show that or tell them to adjust the price on there site so its £28.86 if you are wanting it to be £35 total with VAT
errm, no.
Other than What Hi Fi around Awards time (ie, now) CPC's the only other mag I buy anymore, call it habit. Now I pick my issues according to any future build rather than subbing, it's good to have the option there at last but these Electronic editions also have to compete with Daily Mail/Clubcard/Nectar vouchers at the supermarket which regularly bring down the price of the print mag for me.
If you want to pick a start point for digitising the old stuff, make it the change from white to black spines (issue 44) - any further back than that and the outlay to re-digitise the old stuff, vs the number of new buyers that would complete their collections electronically...without bundle pricing that might not work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTu7GLfrmUI
Nope, but my rellies do and so passed on a load of Tesco vouchers a year ago that gave magazine discounts, the old credit crunch walk-in tokens that supermarkets put out all the time last year.
Hope it fills a gap in the market for some overseas readers though and is a success.
And would definately buy the entire back catalogue!!
Dunno if someone else mentioned this.
But it will be android compatable, I got a look at the android beta zimeo yesterday, comes through very well.
On the Ipad the quality is AMAZING, looks brilliant. And they're working on a new app format that will make it even more accessible.
There's no vat on magazines.
I think digital is subject to VAT, but print isn't.
At least that's what Amazon says when I go to buy kindle books.
Undoubtedly a loophole which the Govmnt has no interest in plugging as it gives them more money.
Just better justifes spending my cash!
Print or digital is subject to VAT
Its already digital before they print it!
No postage costs, no printage costs, just server costs for uploading a file and yet more expensive than a paper version - that goes to newsagents etc
crazy.
Ok i've taken it too far now. sorry. lol
I think certain print categories, such as books, newspapers, leaflets, posters etc are VAT exempt, but digital is always subject to VAT AFAIK. For more information visit http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageLibrary_PublicNoticesAndInfoSheets&propertyType=document&columns=1&id=HMCE_CL_000102
As a subscriber of 1 year+ of the hard copy of the magazine, I would love to see a back issue repository, where maybe we can pay a little more on the existing subscription to access the entire library, rather than pay on a per magazine basis.
I don't see how else a back catalogue can work if it's not indexed and referenced properly, otherwise the sheer cost (and face it, this is incremental business for you - the cost of printing to PDF all the old issues is a one off task which could easily be achieved for negligible additional cost, unless you no longer have the original files).
Ever considered doing each magazine as an actual web site, and then charging for it... oh wait. That's what the old CustomPC site was befor the merge... :)
update on the costs yet as i know its
shown price £35
VAT £6.13
Total: £41.13
also note its not complete correct the way that site operates Not showing VAT when the web site is selected on UK could be classed as not legal or as miss leading (and the Main Article as well), it does Show the VAT if you pick paypal once i picked UK (guessing the credit card side does as well but i am not going to test that)
i leave this to cook for 5 more days
they have not updated the site to show all prices in VAT as well as ex-VAT (not just CPC) and your site still shows the incorrect price to boot as well
they are Miss selling the retail price and comparing VAT prices to none VAT prices (cover price is £42 there price is really £41.13)
e.g. (what quite funny but not at the same time as it says save 17% off lol)
Zinio Digital Price: £35.00 (no VAT, £41.13 with VAT once you get to checkout so not much saving there)
Save 17% off the Cover Price: £42.00 (with VAT) @ £3.50 per copy
Please tell them to correct the site to show all prices in VAT and ex-vat, they have no excuse as the site is set to GB (Price should be £28.88 or £28.87 on Zino site if you wanted it as £35)
you got about 2-3 days before i work out on how to report Zino to the related UK body's (i guess inland revenue), please do not delete this thread or remove it from the forums or remove the article from bit-techs home page
an related email has been sent to them as well
Inland Revenue no longer exists since a merger, it is now Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC.
I am pleased that Custom PC is available now digitally.
However, Mac Format makes pdf versions of each issue available as FREE downloadable pdfs for their subscribers, in a password-protected subscriber site.
So being asked to pay another £35 + VAT for a digital subscription to Custom PC is very disappointing.
the hard copy is £40 that's with VAT (12 months)
at best it should be £20-25 for 12 months but i do not know the price cost for zino or print, but others who sell there mags on there seem to be putting good prices on there
if your getting hard copy the digital one should be free or small cost (£1) and be portable (PDF file or on-line like zino)
Finally got around to subscribing after 11/2 years of paying retail.