London – A new mobile phone application places an entire magazine in the palm of your hand. Fashion magazine Distill has abandoned print for its latest issue, and has instead released it in the form of an iPhone application sponsored by Swatch.
‘All of a sudden mobile has exploded,’ says Distill’s creative director and publisher, Christopher Lockwood. ‘iPhone screens replicate the shape of magazine pages and therefore it is a perfect match, whereas a computer screen is not.’
Far from signifying the death of print, the move is, Lockwood says, proof that all publications can have a multiplatform existence. The key for media providers is ensuring that they provide a consistent message across all platforms.
See our report on mobile apps for more on the future of smartphones and mobile phone applications.