A week ago we talked about the iBuildApp service that allows pretty much everyone to create his or her own iPad (and iPhone) magazine. Now another company is joining the race – Moving Media+, which pitches its Mag+ platform towards magazine publishers, catalog marketers, and advertising and design agencies.
However, it’s important to note here that Mag+ is not a new platform. Rather it was already used for iPad magazine creation in the past. Among the titles already on the platform, there are Popular Science+, Transworld Snowboarding+, and IDG’s MacWorld, as well as cookbooks from Williams-Sonoma.
The new thing is that Bonnier, which last year launched the Popular Science iPad magazine, has spun off Moving Media+ to develop and market the new platform. According to the company’s CEO Staffan Ekholm, Mag+ was “created by publishers for publishers.”
By visiting website magplus.com, users get to access all the tools needed to create tablet publications for free. Publishers pay only when they’re done editing and the magazine is ready for prime time. Moving Media+ charges $2,500 per app, and that money allows publishing of unlimited content for five months. Subsequently there is $500 per issue or $500 per month fee for unlimited publishing. The price covers access to the platform’s built-in features such as analytics from Omniture, Localytics or Flurry; in-app subscriptions; Tapjoy, Admob and Appirator integration; as well as a powerful Web-based backend for managing issues and features.