Newsweek for iPad Isn’t Much More Than a PDF

Remember how I was all excited the other day about the news that the iPad edition of Newsweek was now offering in-app subscriptions at very attractive prices? I mentioned I’d give an issue a try (which I bought at the regular price of $3), and it’s definitely something I regret doing.

Newsweek for iPad isn’t much more than a glorified PDF reader, so don’t expect anything more than what you get with Zinio editions of magazines, and maybe even less so. Sure, the pages are all formatted so that everything is readable without having to zoom in (which is the only interaction you are allowed), but that’s it.

I even found plenty of horrible low-res images (pictured above), and I can’t stand that any page that features full-bleed photos have a thin white frame around them.

The one thing the Newsweek app does have going for it is that it offers a section with breaking news — an NYT-esque formatting of news that appears on its website — and there’s a page full of photo galleries. But as far as the magazine itself, I expect more from an iPad edition.