Last week sad news arrived from Hal Golstein, the publisher of Smartphone & PocketPC magazine. After 11 years of hard work, devotion and commitment to the Windows Mobile platform, the magazine will be suspended until further notice.
As already introduced the magazine is totally tailored to the Windows Mobile platform, with contributions of many online communities from around the world. Hal Goldstein provides some details around the difficult decision in his blog-post on the magazine’s website. Let’s have a look at the most important facts:
Suspension means that we have no plans to publish future Windows Mobile issues. However, we have left the door open, particularly if a sponsor or buyer steps forward. [ref03]
The main reasons for suspending the Windows Mobile issues of the magazine, are a non-growing subscriber -base and the difficulty to keep advertisement-revenues at a stable level. Hal Goldstein describes these problems as follows:
It has become harder to grow our circulation over the past three years since Windows Mobile changed from being PDAs to being phones. Pocket PC manufacturers like HP used to work with us to offer their customers a free issue of our magazine in their packaging. The phone companies have not shown similar interest in working with us. [ref03]
The other business challenge has been the lack of advertising sponsorship from Microsoft, phone companies, and OEMs, despite our coverage of their products. In order for us to sell subscriptions at current low consumer magazine-type prices, we must have a stronger and growing circulation, and we must attract the large advertisers who benefit the most from our existence. [ref03]
These problems are not specific to this magazine, but can be seen at regional newspapers here in the Netherlands, which merge in larger publishing- and media-groups. So let’s hope that some investor will stand-up, so that the printed magazine can continue.
The magazine is also know from its’ “best software awards” and has a website with lot’s of information and background topics about the Windows Mobile platform. This year they will continue with the awards, but for the upcoming year it is depended, whether there is a sponsor or not. Furthermore the publishing firm will continue with a new magazine: iPhone Life, due to the interest and booming market share of these Apple devices.
I will buy the last issue of the magazine and hope you readers will also do this, in order to support this great magazine. Also their website is a great reference guide to use, so have a look at www.pocktpcmag.com !!
