Nobody would argue that over the past few years, technology has experienced period of exponential growth. We can deposit a check by simply taking a picture. Lay our phones on top of a "mat " with no cords connecting it, and it magically charges. And one that still continues to blow my mind, vehicles that parallel park themselves.
Which brings me to our newest advancement, a digital magazine. No I'm not talking about an online PDF of identically what's in the hard copy of the magazine. I'm talking about the same tangible pages that you flip through coming to life—with new stuff. Here's what we're seeing, in context:
September unofficially starts the fiscal year of the fashion world. And every magazine's September issue is huge, filled with a ton of ads and lots of special content (if you recall, Vogue even did a movie based on their 2007 September issue called...ready, wait for it....The September Issue). About two months ago, GQ started circulating buzz that a state-of-the-art "live" feature would make its debut in their September issue. I had no idea what to expect, but I was excited. Ever since I became a subscriber back in '07, around the 18th of every month I have a little more bounce in my step as I make my way to the mailbox. Because I know the newest issue is due to be there any day. So needless to say, with this special issue on the horizon I began to get a little antsy. Well obviously, it's here now and I'm floored. The hype they put on this thing was well-warranted.
And the team at GQ deserves a chest bump for realizing that everyone in the world doesn't own an Apple device and making it available to us Android users. We're typically left out when it comes to things like this. So how do they do it? Scientifically, I haven't the slightest clue. But physically, all the user is required to do is download the app, launch it, then hover your phone over any advertisement or article bearing the GQLive logo. It's that simple. Once you do that, prepare to be astonished. Oh yeah, WiFi is strongly suggested.
Without giving too much away, I'll tell you about some of what's in there.
I did a quick video for you guys to demonstrate how it works.
All in all, I'd say a good 75 percent of the 300 pages have been equipped with this feature. It's quite impressive if I say so myself. I am a firm believer that a big project like this is rarely executed perfectly the first go-round. But I have no complaints whatsoever.
To me, it's pure genius. And even though it's already perfect, it's only going to get better. Not sure if this will be a feature implemented into all issues following this one, or if it will just be for special occasions.
As of now, I haven't heard about any other magazine doing this. However, being that Vogue is also a Conde Nast publication, it would not surprise me if the make the switch soon as well. In other words, even if fashion isn't your thing, it's worth checking this out because who knows when your favorite magazine will do it (if ever).
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