Mobile Computing Magazines fall on hard times!

Here is an good point of discussion.......

It's interesting to note that in the past 6 months or so, three mobile computing magazines have gone out of business - Mobile PC, Handheld Computing, and Pen Computing have all folded.

Is it just a matter of people switching to internet sources for quicker information access or is it a reflection of the general public's attitude towards mobile computing in general and the direction it has taken in the marketplace?

Edited by Hurricane John 2006-05-05 8:05 AM

As far as I am aware (have seen with my own eyes) none of those three publications you mention are avialable on shelves in my country. So ultimately, yes there has been a failure.

That's interesting, because most of the chain retail bookstores in the US carry many of the UK Mobile PC/PPC publications! Why none of these magazines were sold in the UK, is a mystery to me? Then again, Pocket PC magzine is still not available in the UK either - right?

Pen Computing mag was one of the pioneer mobile computer magazines, it was around even before Window CE was born. Handheld Computing mag was strictly a Palm PC based publication until it switched names to Handheld Computing in the mid 90's and then began covering all mobile PC platforms (the kiss of death!). I don't know much about Mobile PC mag, but I believe they covered HPC/PPC market, but there main focus was laptops!

I feel I should clarify there, I've never seen them anywhere. The extent of that research is constrained to my local area, the main highstreet retail chains and airports for the most part - it doesn't mean that they aren't here, just that I've never seen them.

I could get PPC Magazine, but would need to pay International shipping rates on them, which considerably boosts the price of it for a magazine of Pocket PC articles. Which as you all know, doesn't float my boat.

I can however again draw from personal experience, may be as a generalisation. I cancelled all my computer magazine subscriptiong a year and a half, two years ago. I was increasingly finding that I didn't read them, wasn't especially interested and was just using them as a reference guide when I wanted to buy something - which I can use the net to do, and get a broader range of real-world opinions, not just the results of a week long clean room test.
Of course with me, it is part of a general disinfranchisement with the IT industry, in my great years (5000 wasn't it ) I eventually worked out that life's too short; and that there is plenty else to see and do out there - making H/PC's useful because they can come along too.

That is just lil ol' me speaking.

Wow, John, I didn't know about the close-outs... I checked Mobile PC is indeed dead, but the other two seem to be running. Are you sure they're out of business? Here are the websites:
Handheld Computing
http://www.hhcmag.com/
Pen Computing
http://www.pencomputing.com/

I have bought at least one issue of all three of those magazines. I just checked and I still have an old issue of Handheld and two of Mobile in my desk tray (and 3 PPCmag). I used to read Pen at the beginning of my CE life. But lately (like the past year or so) Pen is very hard to find here in Vancouver.

Maybe the Pocket PCs are not selling as well anymore after all..

If I'm a model for the industry all mags computer related are doomed

I used to buy/subcribe to mags when I entered each new IT field. I rapidly discovered the incredible bias and lack of useful info early on. That, and the repetitive format (every Sept the annual printers edition, in October, annual monitor edition and so on) drove me away. Oh, did I mention the incredible quantity of wrong information the mags printed? If I couldn't trust their results why bother buying the mag?

I haven't bought a mag for >10 years. Probably >15 years.

I have also thought about the online info vs printed. Actually when I got my first CE device I thought it was the end of printed magazines for me. But that was so wrong. I found printed material still a lot more convenient to pick up and read when I am relaxing in the evenings or weekends (when "minutes are free". Going online to find the info is actually too much of a hassle for me, in terms of recreational reading. Another point is that a lot of internet writers (even the best ones) are less skilled than printed publications writers... No offense guys and gals, I wrote for this site too, but I would humbly admit I'm nowhere near professional. Overall, the percentage of enjoyment (if that's meausureable) over the number of articles I choose to read is noticeably higher on printed magazines compared to the internet.

All that said, I am considering subscribing to PPCmag E-ed. My current Smartphone isn't doing a great job displaying the Lit ver of PPCmag (it's better at displaying plain text only). But my next phone will be a PE, which would be much better at it. I'll see how that works out, hopefully soon.

BTW, I still buy car mags on a regular basis, which is harder to replace with electronics, because of the pictures. But with the ever improving technologies, like the VGA PEs starting to appear, perhaps that'll change too in a couple years time.

Speaking for myself, I just can't seem to find enough time to read - not even my newspapers, though I hate to cancel my subscriptions because I, uh, want to know what's going on in the world. (Maybe someday I'll find out.) People seem to live so much busier lives nowadays, so I wonder if maybe lots of other people find themselves in the same predicament.

I still buy flying mags from time to time and enjoy reading them. I also love National Geographic. I agree reading online is no fun, too much hassle. But I can't see myself ever buying another IT mag for any reason.

Maybe if I had a $50 paper thin lightweight packerback size ereader that ran for days on a charge I might change my opinion.

Takwu

This information came from a very reliable source and I am talking about the printed version of these magazines. Yes - some of their websites may still be around, but I'm not sure what their intentions are for the future of said websites?

I'll keep buying PPCMag until they quit printing them. I love 'em. But to be sure, there isn't much choice these days. I get it and one other, MaximumPC which comes with a great CD every month. I can remember a time when I subscribed to Byte, Commodore, Amiga World, MacWorld, PC World, and the greatest of all of them, the old style giant size Computer Shopper.

Best thing I enjoy about the E-versions of any magazine is the active links to web pages for advertisers and software sites.

Rich

Byte Magazine - man, does that bring back old memories.

The last time I bought Computer Shopper it was half the size of my previous purchase, and that has been several years ago. I remember pouring through its 700-1000 pages looking for the best deals back in the early to mid-90s. Now I go to Tom's Hardware and Price Watch and maybe one or two others like New Egg. That's it. Research: done. Shopping: done. All that time reviewing Computer Shopper has been replaced with time reading Tom's or posting to the THG Forumz. *sigh*

I used to read PCWorld every month and loved it. But when it started getting skinner and skinner and yet the cover price was a ridiculous $6.99 I stopped. Used to read Handheld Computing all the time too, but when I stopped using a Palm device I didn't see a point. I am still a mag junkie though. I read several writers mags, a genealogy mag, and Cosmo every month. I only subscribe to one mag these days-Horticulture. I do try and read the newspaper everyday.

I remember Byte...I read it ocassionally but always found it way too dry and technical. I also used to love the old giant Computer Shopper, and used to subscribe to A+ and Home Computing mags..I have fond memories of typing the BASIC progs they printed every month into my trusty Apple IIe...those were the days!


Edited by SueNY 2006-05-07 7:23 PM