Computer magazines have been struggling longer than most other magazine categories. The sales decline from the glory days of around six or seven years ago has been considerable.
In a move to reconnect with magazine customers, ACP has repositioned PC User magazine and rebranded it as TECHlife.
I am not sure why they didn’t kill off the old title and start afresh. At the very least this would have reset sales data in newsagency computer systems. This is an issue since many newsagents will use historical data in deciding how to behave with the title – whether to early return for example.
A new magazine is given time to find its feet. It is also often given greater support through the launch period. While TECHlife has a new name, some newsagents may not see it as a launch. This could affect sales.
We are treating it as a launch, promoting it away from more traditional computer titles and promoting it to connect with those interested in and / or using technology … which is everyone these days.
Had PCUser mag on hold from my newsagent.
Suddenly it morphs into this…
What were they thinking. It’s a glorified CHOICE magazine. I won’t be getting this put away anymore. It’s so poorly executed, as a change in format.
You just lost my vote on this.
Mind you.
PCUser mag should have been absorbed into Australian Personal Computer magazine years ago.
Even the journo’s bragged in either mag how they worked in the same office!
Good luck with that.
Now I have a copy I am NOT IMPRESSED.
An expensive Harvey Norman Catalogue.
One for the I-phone set. PC content dumb-ed down
Watch the advertisers desert in droves and it will be all over.
why do people repeat the mistakes of others?
EA became T3 and FOLDED. This will too
I wont have to renew I will get a refund
Isn’t it interesting how these Customers seem to think it’s all the Newsagents fault their fave mag has gone to God ?
Yes, Computer mags have died a death because nowadays babies are born with the ability to use one (lol, leaving us old *arts befuddled, well me anyway!). But I find Digital Media mags in general are going very well still – photography and web design, Photoshop, Desktop etc are still selling, I just think the topic has morphed into another thing altogether from just “computers” – which means we have to display very differently from in the past
h, I don’t think the customers are blaming us but hopefully the publishers read this blog and note the dissatisfaction on some. I have not read the magazines in question, we barely have the time to get home and cook a meal lately, but I can understand the publishers having to redefine their product to suit the fast pace of change in technology otherwise they will be left in the wake of others. A lesson for us on the pace of change??
It always amazes me how some people seem to think they speak for everyone when they actually represent the dwindling demographic that nearly killed PC User. “An expensive Harvey Norman catalogue.” Actually John, no, have a look at some of the world’s very top selling mags and how they are designed. They also look like Harvey Norman catalogues, in that case. The best designers cater for the changing tastes and consumption patterns of moden audiences. Also, we didn’t just change PC User on a whim. It was done on the basis of massive market research which told us that our core audience of PC tinkerers was petering out and by sticking slavishly to them, we were completely missing the changes in the market. So TechLife is what PC User would have been had it been invented today, for today’s mass market users. My suggestion to those resisting change is, get with it.
Tony Sarno, Editor, TechLife.
Tony thanks for commenting. FYI, sales are tracking well for us – we still have the title featured at the counter as well as in the tech section.
tony,
i featured you new title in our window, and we did very well.
not sure if it was the new look or the content, but we have just about sold out.
buyers mostly over 60years