Macworld Digital Magazine U.S. app good for
Update: all of a sudden it started working. Dont think it was anything I did - perhaps it needed time to realise Im a subscriber.
I did, yesterday, and now I have no issues in my library and no way to download them even though I have a paid-up subscription through Macworld.
I advise you to wait until they fix the bugs.
I really dont get all the complaints. Im not sure what the whiners expect, but I think Macworld is great.
Some menu buttons are way too small, and not adjustable. Loads fine...
This app works great. I was confused at first so I will help others like me.
First, I went to Settings > Customer Support
I was emailed back in a prompt manner.
It turns out I was not an iTunes subscriber, I had bought my subscription on the MacWorld website.
I was confused at first by the iTunes Subscriber or Digital Subscriber option. I needed to login as a Digital Subscriber based on how I purchased my subscription.
After the confusion was cleared up and I realized how old I was. I am now amazed at how easy it is to read the magazine on my phone or ipad and love it.
Some glitches with the change over but found support to be timely and helpful. The new format is better with everything on a separate page rather than swiping down to finish an article before across to the next.
The app is pretty basic but elegant and more importantly it works very smoothly so that you can focus on what you are reading. Definitely one of my favourite magazine app!
Some bad moments
I had a 2 year subscription, started just before it went paperless. (No warning that the paper version was ending.) Ive been slow to use the new format but regularly went in to download issues. As far as Im concerned, these issues should be mine for viewing on my iPad for as long as I want. The subscription cost did not go down even though nothing is printed or mailed (and mailing to Canada adds considerably to the costs). But no, the issues just disappeared off my iPad without warning. I can no longer access or download the because my subscription has run out. ☹️
I would avoid this upgrade, if I could get a do over. Bookmarking pages doesnt work. You have to flip through all pages of an article to skip it, instead of just the first page. And resetting up your account information is a hassle, assuming you can remember the email address you originally used and your password. Also, all previously downloaded issues are erased.
Latest update made the resolution much worse, especially for the biggest iPad Pro screens.
A terrible implementation; a publication like MacWorld deserves better. Unfortunately, the parent company, IDG, doesnt give a darn about the reader -- see their online offering for more proof of this -- the autoplaying video content, ad-heavy pages, and so on.
Back to this app. As others have noted, it wont download in the background, so you have to keep the app open and just wait. No working on something else -- just wait.
If youre reading an issue and put it aside for a while, your place is lost. In fact, you have to go to your library and open the issue all over again and find where you left off. Very annoying!
I gave up the subscription, and the chances of my returning are close to nil.
To reinforce what all of the others have said, the shift to digital has been AWFUL! As well, because the app is so difficult to navigate, and cumbersome with having to ref-download the content, I just gave up and no longer read the magazine. I miss the great articles and how-toos. But that I cannot view the magazine in landscape with my iPad Pro is both surprising and frustrating.
I wish I could give it 0 stars and still post the comments. Dont waste your money on a subscription - I have two issues left on my multi-year subscription, and I am just going to let it lapse. I guess IDG is more devoted to the PC World.
If a new Mercedes were introduced to fans of fine automobiles with one caveat - that it had been built by marmosets using pebbles, mud, and their own waste - they would find that the new car had the same level of functionality as this app.
