Oprah releases her magazine app for the iPad

Oprah Winfrey has expanded her media empire even further today, as she is releasing the iPad app version of her O, The Oprah Magazine. Oprah's magazine is distributed by the Hearst Corporation, which publishes other popular titles like Esquire, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen. The aforementioned titles, and others, have been available in digital form from the Zinio storefront since the iPad's release.

The publishers have gone further than to simply release a PDF of the popular magazine. "We wanted to capture Oprah’s personality in a different way, since the iPad is different from the magazine and the TV show," said editor Susan Casey. The app version of Oprah's magazine will first differ in that it will contain exclusive video content. It will also incorporate social networking functions to repost articles or items from the magazine.

It's advertising setup will also differ. The initial launch will only contain ads from Disney and Lexus. They say they want the iPad experience to be less cluttered, and offer the advertisers more premium placement. Users who want to enter the available sweepstakes will also have an easier experience than those using the print version.

We've all heard of Oprah's 'Favorite Things' list, that can often skyrocket any garment, book, etc. to massive popularity. The app will include features to save, share, or even buy the item directly from the app. Each issue of the Oprah magazine app will cost $3.99 per issue (slightly less than print), and they are reporting versions for other tablets in the near future.

source: mocoNews