Zinio has always been the leader in the digital magazine space and sets the bar for other digital magazine vendors.  Zinio is more focused on the broad consumer magazine market so it’s likely that your favorite niche title or trade magazine will not yet be listed.  In the past year however, we have seen Zinio move toward the business and regional market with special programs for these publishers.

Lets look at the Zinio App in the iTunes Store.

Glad to see the app is free.  Obviously this market is more valuable from a overall market expansion perspective than making  a buck or two on the app.

Once you download the Zinio App and tap, it launches to the initial account initialization or setup screen.

Existing Zinio users (register online at zinio.com) can enter their username and password.

You then see the main digital magazine iPhone reader interface.  The App launches to the “My Library” screen as expected.  You can sort your iPhone magazine library by Date or Title.

The magazine app’s iPhone newsstand is where I expect to see some real growth in the futere app updates.  As more titles are added, you can bet this section of the app will enable Zinio to feature and promote new titles in a similar format to the iTunes store.

The Zinio App “More” menu presents administrative elements of the app.  There’s room for an additional main screen app menu and perhaps this is where we will see app magazine previews and other features in future updates.

Selecting an iPhone app magazine title in the app newsstand launches Safari to complete the digital magazine app subscription.  Once accepted, the Zinio App is re-launched from Safari and you may download your digital magazine app to read on your iPhone.

As you view your digital magazine in 1 page or 2-page layout mode, you’ll appreciate that for article and feature text, the app developer has created a “Read Mode” which brings the article into a text mode for ease of reading.

Overall, the simplicity and quality of this magazine app for iPhone makes this an app that any magazine enthusiast will want to grab.

Zinio iPhone App Video

Paid content walls and barriers to sharing provide short term revenue and long term brand destruction costs as a strategy for most publishers.  It does take a lesson or two on the value of both viral marketing and cost of traffic to understand that the reader is valuable, especially for the advertising driven publication.  And don’t we want advertisers to fund the magazine?

For both consumer and trade magazines I find the advertising of equal value to the content. Magazine apps can also provide magazine advertiser value in digital formats. We must think beyond traditional web banner ads. We must also consider the magazine apps sharing capabilities that relates in realtime (as a shared tweet) to other people receiving the share that aren’t on mobile application platforms and can link directly to the shared magazine website or digital edition. Of course, this means that publishers must include magazine application social sharing capabilities when developing their magazine apps for the iPhone and Andriod mobile platforms.

There are magazines that have strong content value with subscription price points that can maintain must-have-it readers. For these publishers, it is completely understandable that they protect their digital content.

For other publishers, I recommend you find ways to share your content and track the benefits of real people consuming and sharing your content and advertising messages.

I have included some digital magazine embeds below.

In 2010 we will see more magazine apps, digital magazines, magazine widgets, and other unique ways to connect with the visual communication advantages of the magazine brand and it’s ability to carry and advertising message.

MagApps.com – Magazine Apps Directory

We have six iPhone Apps and more on the way, and GQ is the first magazine to launch an iPhone App that’s a full replica of the print magazine, complete with sponsors and circulation.

via Condé Nast Moving Away From Magazine Web Sites as Print ‘Companions’ – emedia and Technology @ FolioMag.com.

And regardless of the media channel, we must remind publishers to enable and facilitate social sharing and collaboration with the content published to maximize utility, brand, and content value.