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JR Russell
New user
38 Posts
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Posted: Dec 30, 2011 8:23am
I am up for renewal but I can't seem to hit the renew button due to the fact that I can get the digital version for my iPad. I love having a hard copy of MAGIC, but I can't see paying twice for a hard copy & a digital copy. Are other subscribers out there feeling the same and could this lead to the end of the hard copy version?
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Rizzo
Inner circle
East Coast
2321 Posts
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Posted: Dec 30, 2011 10:31am
A long time subscriber, well over 10 years, I did not renew last time around either. Now I get the digital versions and only the ones I want.
Why call it common sense when it's so rare ?
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sobrien
Loyal user
228 Posts
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Posted: Jan 2, 2012 7:34pm
Yes I switched to digital as well.
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whiteoakcanyon
Special user
721 Posts
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Posted: Jan 2, 2012 8:47pm
The bottom line for me was the improved content in the online version. The embedded videos are incredible. Hopefully, Stan will continue to invest in making further improvements. A few issues ago he actually had the magician who developed the tricks in Joshua Jay's column perform and teach the effects; it was fantastic! You will not get that in the print version.
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Vlad_77
Inner circle
The Netherlands
3933 Posts
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Posted: Jan 3, 2012 11:54am
Makes no sense to me why Stan Allen is doing this. If it is the case that I have to choose between the two, then I will stay with Genii since I get BOTH plus the Genii archive. I do love Magic magazine but not enough to have to choose one medium over the other.
I also find it ironic that some magicians loathe e-books and digital magazine compilations but prefer the very thing they loathe.
C'est la vie.
Vlad
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waltsal
Loyal user
270 Posts
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Posted: Jan 4, 2012 12:37pm
The iPad version is wonderful. And you can order only the issues you want, including back issues. As whiteoakcanyon pointed out, the embedded videos offer you something you cannot get in the printed version--and they bring magazines to a whole new level. You'll also enjoy the fact that you don't have piles of magazines collecting in a corner somewhere.
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Magic Rik
Loyal user
Eastern Canada
247 Posts
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Posted: Jan 22, 2012 8:23am
Quote:
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You'll also enjoy the fact that you don't have piles of magazines collecting in a corner somewhere.
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As well as the fact that you WILL have all the past copies with you all the time on your iPad.
Magic Rik
Life itself is magic - I just want to help a bit!
https://www.facebook.com/Magic.by.Rik
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dman11
Regular user
PA
113 Posts
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Posted: Jan 30, 2012 8:48am
Just got an Ipad this month and got my first digital copy. I'll be sticking with this - I love it. I also got a few other magazines I regularly read and they are not as good. I hate when they do not have an "Active contents " section. Meaning that you cant just click on the article in the contents and be taken to that page like you can in Magic - you have to scroll to that article. Magic does a great job! I wish Genii was the same way with being able to order single issues
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Jim Sparx
Inner circle
Far Out, Texas
1125 Posts
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Posted: Mar 21, 2012 1:14pm
I want to be sure I am not misreading the above.
Question: When you subscribe to the magazine do you get access to previous issues like you do with Genii?
And are the previous issues on CD?
Thank you.
Spartacus died for your sloth
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Rizzo
Inner circle
East Coast
2321 Posts
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Posted: Mar 21, 2012 6:09pm
Spartacus, No and no
Why call it common sense when it's so rare ?
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prestidig
New user
70 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 6:04pm
I bought my first copy today on the iPad. I love the format! Very enjoyable read!
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Richard Kaufman
Inner circle
1003 Posts
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Posted: Jun 9, 2012 10:30pm
For one price, $56, Genii gives you the printed copy, the digital copy (with embedded videos and audios), and all 75 years of back issues available online in a searchable database. Genii is also the oldest and now the largest independent magic magazine. We have also given away many free DVDs with our paper copies (with more to come this year!), and those videos are available on the digital edition as well.
One thing it's important to note: you can view the digital versions of the current issues of Genii (going back to January 2011) on ANY platform: any computer, desktop, laptop, iPad, and iPhone. While the audio and video don't function because we don't have apps for Kindle Fire, Nook, and Android tablets (such as the ZYboard): you can most certainly read the digital edition of the magazine on these devices and it looks great.
So, if you want the paper and digital versions of MAGIC magazine, not only do you have to pay almost double the price, you're also screwed if you don't have an iPad.
I think Genii gives a lot more to ALL of its customers every month.  But, it's understandable I feel that way.
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cpatchett
Veteran user
My current prediction is that I have
326 Posts
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Posted: Jun 11, 2012 8:06pm
I have to agree with Richard...Genii is by far the better deal. MAGIC is currently making the same mistake that all the other publishers made when they first put out an iPad edition of their magazines...charging too high a price per single issue and not offering a free digital subscription to print subscribers.
The only change I would like to see Genii make is to allow access to paid digital issues after a subscription ends, but to be perfectly honest I'm not sure if other publishers offer this or not.
Magician: Someone willing to spend $15 to learn how to make $1 disappear.
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Rizzo
Inner circle
East Coast
2321 Posts
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Posted: Jun 11, 2012 9:10pm
Magic digital is certainly worth the cost for those who can't wait for regular mail, it's fast, convenient and the format for an IPad is fantastic
Why call it common sense when it's so rare ?
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Tim Hannig
Special user
Chicago area
755 Posts
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Posted: Jun 26, 2012 9:43am
I've been a Magic subscriber since day one, and recently switched to an iPad only subscription. I love it. It's great to have all issues with me, and I love that it downloads all content so I don't need wi-fi at a later time to watch the videos, etc.
I also get Genii, and subscribed for 3 years and got the great Vernon book for $15.
I like them both!
Funny Pre-Show Announcements cd available at
http://www.behindthecurtaindvd.com
tim@showmethefun.com
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magic_man_jim
New user
95 Posts
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Posted: Aug 9, 2012 5:10pm
I really think Magic Magazine should show the love to Android users. Not fair Ijunkies get all the fun!
Jim Boothe
www.magicianism.com
jim@magicianism.com
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patrickmg
New user
South Florida
56 Posts
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Posted: Nov 2, 2012 10:45am
I spend most of my time in front of a computer for work, and I enjoy having a paper magazine in my hand. I have read a few magazines online, and even if convenient, I am still sticking to paper. However, I do love having a digital collection of all the magazines I've read with a good search index. I don't want to stock anymore years of past paper edition, but I want to be able to quickly get back to a past article when needed. I have also often extracted a few pages of a .pdf file to store an article in specific research folders that I keep on some topics.
I'm not against apps made for magazine, but it's not multi platform yet (OS specific), and I'm wondering about long term access (change of standard, proprietary format, etc...). I feel more confident in a trusted .pdf format downloaded to my NAS that I will still be able to read in twenty years. I'm not so sure about the perenity of hosted on demand proprietary systems.
I would like to see for paper subscribers, a free download option of past editions they received (maybe with a few months delay to give digital only subscribers a premium).
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Richard Kaufman
Inner circle
1003 Posts
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Posted: Nov 20, 2012 10:45pm
Penguin Magic is now offering digital issues of Genii on an issue by issue basis. Pay, download a pdf that you will be able to read forever, and you get all the video and audio, too.
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Merenkov
Loyal user
254 Posts
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Posted: Nov 21, 2012 9:01pm
Richard’s latest offering (the ability to buy individual issues which you can view forever) illustrates the discrepancy that many previously overlooked when comparing the digital versions of Genii and MAGIC Magazine (and trying to determine which one was the “better deal”). With Genii, you had access to the digital version of the magazine (as well as PDF’s of the older issues), but only so long as you were willing to pay that subscription every year into eternity. The minute you stopped subscribing, you lost access to those digital versions in your library. Now he is saying that you can buy those issues individually (even though you may have paid for them previously in your subscription). So it was never really a “better deal” than MAGIC, it was just a different deal. I applaud the evolution, though, as I like to pick and choose which digital magic magazines I want to buy, without being forced to pay an annual subscription forever.
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Merenkov
Loyal user
254 Posts
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Posted: Nov 21, 2012 9:08pm
By the way, I should note that I prefer the content of Genii to MAGIC Magazine (I'm a subscriber to Genii, and only buy the digital versions of MAGIC that interest me). But I think the digital version of MAGIC is far superior. Genii's digital version is just a glorified PDF, with some video attachments. MAGIC Magazine's digital version is a true app, similar to what the Wall Street Journal has done with their iPad version of the newspaper. The text, photographs and videos are all seamlessly integrated into a new format and user experience, and there's really no comparison between the two. I only mention this to apply gentle pressure to Genii to try to keep up.
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Matt Adams
Special user
Huntsville, AL
647 Posts
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Posted: Jan 7, 2013 11:32am
Quote:
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On 2012-11-21 21:01, Merenkov wrote:
So it was never really a “better deal” than MAGIC, it was just a different deal.
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Make no mistake - this sort of "different" IS better. 
I currently have both - but I feel Genii is not only weightier in material, but you get MUCH more access because of the archives. SO MUCH WIN!
www.MattAdamsMagic.com
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Merenkov
Loyal user
254 Posts
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Posted: Jan 8, 2013 7:35pm
Quote:
| Make no mistake - this sort of "different" IS better. |
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That's like saying an ad-free subscription to Pandora is a better deal than buying a CD, since Pandora gives you thousands of songs to listen to for that subscription. But the catch is that you have to continuously subscribe to listen to those songs on Pandora, and you also have to have internet access. But if I buy a CD, I own it forever and can listen to it whenever I want, without the need for internet access. So which is the better value between subscribing to Pandora or buying a CD? I don't know personally, as I see value in each option. They're just different. The same logic applies to Genii and MAGIC. To view those digital versions of your Genii subscription, you have to maintain that subscription forever (unless you buy those issues separately, for a cost above your subscription fee). To view issues of MAGIC or Genii that you purchased separately, you can open them at anytime on your iPad forever (note that the digital issues of Genii are $6.00/issue, though, compared to $3.99/issue for MAGIC).
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Matt Adams
Special user
Huntsville, AL
647 Posts
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Posted: Jan 9, 2013 4:03pm
Quote:
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On 2013-01-08 19:35, Merenkov wrote:
Quote:
| Make no mistake - this sort of "different" IS better. |
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That's like saying an ad-free subscription to Pandora is a better deal than buying a CD, since Pandora gives you thousands of songs to listen to for that subscription. But the catch is that you have to continuously subscribe to listen to those songs on Pandora, and you also have to have internet access. But if I buy a CD, I own it forever and can listen to it whenever I want, without the need for internet access. So which is the better value between subscribing to Pandora or buying a CD? I don't know personally, as I see value in each option. They're just different. The same logic applies to Genii and MAGIC. To view those digital versions of your Genii subscription, you have to maintain that subscription forever (unless you buy those issues separately, for a cost above your subscription fee). To view issues of MAGIC or Genii that you purchased separately, you can open them at anytime on your iPad forever (note that the digital issues of Genii are $6.00/issue, though, compared to $3.99/issue for MAGIC).
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That logic makes sense. Question though - can't you just download the PDF for each Genii you want? So how is it $6 an issue? It's FREE when you are a subscriber...so just download whatever you want!
The other thought is to just ante up the 1000 bucks and be a lifetime member. Seems that could be worthwhile if you are young enough. I just renewed for a single year again...and will consider lifetime next year. We'll see...
www.MattAdamsMagic.com
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Merenkov
Loyal user
254 Posts
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Posted: Jan 10, 2013 11:53am
Quote:
| Question though - can't you just download the PDF for each Genii you want? So how is it $6 an issue? It's FREE when you are a subscriber...so just download whatever you want! |
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You know, I think you're right. I was under the impression that I wasn't able to access the media files (video and voice) in Genii without internet access. But now that I play around with it, I see that you can choose that option (down-loading the actual media files) when down-loading a particular issue.
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Matt Adams
Special user
Huntsville, AL
647 Posts
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Posted: Jan 11, 2013 4:02pm
Good stuff. I think I changed my mind about renewing with Magic this year. I'm going to do it at least one more year...cause I'm going to Magic Live and that would really be goofy to attend and not even be a subscriber to their magazine.
But after that I might just get single issues that interest me. There's valuable stuff in EVERY issue of Magic...but there's just no point in having it since I can't find time to read it compared to all the things Genii provides. Just info overload! No sense in spending more money I guess.
www.MattAdamsMagic.com
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MarkFinn
New user
North Texas
74 Posts
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Posted: Jan 24, 2013 4:38pm
I'm still on the fence about it. I've been getting Magic on and off for a while, and last year was the first year I subscribed. I really liked getting the mags in the mail every month (I'm old enough to appreciate when fun stuff came in the mail). And while the little code word Hunt and Peck thing is slightly annoying, I have been looking at the enhanced content on my new Ipad recently, and I like it a lot, too. For the time being, I'll keep getting Magic as a physical copy and subscribe to Genii and read the digital copy. After a few months, I may well re-evaluate that decision, but for now, it works for me.
Mark Finn
Raconteur, Ne'er-Do-Well
I can be followed, but never shadowed:
twitter.com/FinnsWake
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themagiciansapprentice
Special user
Essex, UK
942 Posts
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Posted: Feb 2, 2013 5:52pm
Digital £2.49 hard-copy £6 simple choice
I also like having Magic Magazine on my iPad - last year I took it with me to the FCM Convention and read back issues between lectures or whilst travelling.This has now become a habit.
Have wand will travel! Performing childrens magic in the UK for the Spring 2013 season.
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