App Store Delivers Newsstand

In what I hope is a permanent feature, the App Store has grouped some of its periodicals into the Newsstand. Included here are newspapers, magazines and what Apple calls simply Digital. Two Newsstand features exist; one for the iPad and another one for iPhone and iPod touch.

With the number of iPad apps now approaching nearly 17,000 it was definitely time for Apple to isolate apps beyond the simple category listings such as the generic News, Life Style and Sports, for example.

Still, the Newsstand remains surprisingly thin. There are only four newspapers and 14 magazine apps for iPad. Its Digital iPad section numbers just 17. These include such all-inclusive news apps such as Pulse News Reader, Early Edition and Zinio Magazine Newsstand & Reader. For the iPhone and iPod touch, there are six newspaper apps featured, including USA Today and the LA Times, and 11 magazines. The digital section numbers 13 apps. The Newsstand feature is not all-inclusive which is too bad. It would be nice to see all of the available periodicals located here as an easy reference. But, it is a good start. In the coming months, expect the number of apps in the Newsstand to explode, if the feature remains.