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The media world has been buzzing about this for months. Now, finally, the plans for a large digital newsstand (from a consortium of magazine and newspaper publishers) are expected to be announced early next week. According to reports in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times: News Corp., Conde Nast, Meredith, Hearst, and Time Inc. are all investing in the “iTunes for print” company. The new venture doesn’t have a name yet, but, in theory, will sell content from magazines and newspapers from a single website while leaving the hardware (or reading devices) to others. The alliance would develop standards for magazine viewing on mobile phones, e-book readers, and other platforms. Time Inc. vet John Squires will be the managing director while the company looks for a CEO. Read the New York Times story here or The Guardian’s story here.

Industry buzz Conde Nast, digital, Hearst, magazine, Meredith, News Corp., online, Time Inc.

Coming this month to an iPhone near you: the December issue of your GQ magazine. Conde Nast has developed the technology to view the December issue’s content on Apple’s iPhone through a $2.99 app. This is the first time a major consumer magazine has made an entire issue available on a custom-built reader on an Apple app, breaking away from Amazon’s Kindle app. In the reader, GQ can be read in vertical or horizontal modes, and users can tap through pages and ads. It will also include video, audio, and links to external websites. The app comes out mid-November. See the full FOLIO story here.

Industry buzz app, Conde Nast, GQ, iPhone, magazine, mobile

I sighed, you sighed, we all sighed when beloved design magazine Domino closed its doors in January. The struggling pub gave us decorating inspiration with a funky, low-cost edge, and its closure at Conde Nast left a gaping hole on the coffee tables of 20-somethings across the country. Now, a couple of Ex-Domino staffers might be filling that gap – but online this time. Michelle Adams, who served as market editor at Domino, and Patrick Cline, a photographer, are launching a design pub called Lonny Magazine. With a mission to “reopen the doors of accessible design,” the pub is embracing an online platform to provide design inspiration, but keeping the layout of a regular magazine. The bimonthly title will be published on its web site, with the first issue set to launch in October.

New launches Conde Nast, design, Domino, launch, Lonny, magazine, online

Apps aside, will the iPhone become the new digital medium for magazine content? Perhaps iTunes will become a virtual newsstand for magazines, bringing the newest issues straight through to your iPhone. In a recent article in AdAge, publishers say the idea isn’t so far-fetched. “iTunes is a great marketplace for entertainment, movies, music, TV, even books. Magazines are actually conspicuous in their absence,” Ryan McConville, publisher of Bauer Teen Magazines, told AdAge.

If you think it would be hard—virtually impossible—to translate a magazine spread onto such a small screen, don’t blink. Companies are already hard at work figuring out a way to do just that. One such company, called Bite Sized Candy, is working with Condé Nast and Hearst to provide magazine content to the iPhone via iTunes—and they’re looking at launching the solution this summer. Can’t wait to see it!

Industry buzz apps, Conde Nast, content, digital, Hearst, iPhone, iTunes, print

New magazines have been quietly launching across the pond. Condé Nast launched a twice-yearly British style magazine, titled The Love, earlier this year. Plus, the U.K. version of Wired is relaunching next month. Now the newest announcement is from H Bauer Publishing, which is launching a new consumer magazine that will focus on a trend brought about by the global economic crunch—eating at home. Take a look at the new Eat In.

New launches British, Conde Nast, Eat In, H Bauer, magazine, Wired