MacLife (stylized as Mac|Life) is an American monthly magazine published by Future US. It focuses on products produced by Apple, including the Macintosh personal computer, iPad, and iPhone. It was sold as a print product on newsstands, but is now a digital-only product distributed through Magazines Direct and the Mac|Life app, the latter of which can be obtained via the App Store. From September 1996 until February 2007, the magazine was known as MacAddict.
 Cover of the July 2024 issue | |
| Editor | Nick Odantzis [1] |
|---|---|
| Categories | Mac and iOS computing |
| Frequency | monthly |
| First issue | September 1996 (as MacAddict) February 2007 (as MacLife) |
| Company | Future US |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | South San Francisco, CA |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 1935-4010 |
History
editMacLife is one of two successor magazines to the defunct CD-ROM Today. First published in 1993 by Imagine Publishing (now Future US), CD-ROM Today was targeted at both Windows and Macintosh users, and each issue shipped with a CD-ROM of shareware and demo programs. In August 1996, CD-ROM Today ceased publication, with two magazines taking its place: MacAddict for Macintosh users, and boot (now Maximum PC) for Windows users.[2]
As was the case with CD-ROM Today, MacAddict's discs included shareware and demo programs, but also came with other added features, such as staff videos and previews of content inside the magazine's hard copy. The MacAddict website was updated daily with news relevant to Apple products. MacAddict also had a mascot, a stick-figure named Max. By 1998, MacAddict had surpassed Macworld as the Macintosh magazine with the highest consumer newsstand spending due to its $7.99 cover price.[3]
In February 2007, MacAddict was relaunched as MacLife.[4][5] The new magazine had physically larger print editions than the old magazine, was focused on the creativity of Mac users, and no longer came with a CD-ROM.
In April 2023, MacLife issued its last print edition and switched to a digital-only format.[6]
In Germany, an unrelated magazine of the same name is published by Falkemedia from Kiel (ISSN 1860-9988).
Reviewing system
editFrom 1996 to mid-2002, there were four rating icons, which depicted Max. There was "Blech" (the lowest), "Yeah, Whatever" (a mediocre product), "Spiffy" (a solid yet imperfect product), and "Freakin' Awesome" (the highest). From 2002 to 2009, it was replaced with a more conventional five-point system. In 2010, MacLife adopted a 10-point system that included half stars.
References
edit- ^ "About Us – MacLife". MacLife. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ^ "Good News for Macintosh Consumers: Imagine Publishing Announces its second phase in the evolution of CD-ROM Today". Business Wire. 1996-03-11. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ "MacAddict Magazine Surpasses Macworld Magazine in Consumer Newsstand Spending". The Free Library. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
- ^ Cook, Brad (2006-10-09). "MacAddict Rep Discusses New Magazine". MacObserver. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
- ^ Cohen, Peter (2006-10-06). "MacAddict to rebrand as MacLife". Macworld. Retrieved 2006-10-23.
- ^ McCracken, Harry (2023-04-15). "The End of Computer Magazines in America". Technologizer by Harry McCracken. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
External links
edit- MacLife – official site
- Archived MacAddict magazines on the Internet Archive