Friday 19th October 2001, Amiga Active Magazine Announces Major Changes

Issue 26 of Amiga Active magazine will be released on the 25th of October. This issue will contain the normal mix of forward-looking and "Classic Amiga" content, including the most detailed preview of the Amiga DE to date, revealing for the first time much of what is actually going into the next-generation Operating Environment which Amiga are building on top of the binary-portable intent JTE (Java Technology Edition) multimedia engine from Tao Group. This will be the last time that Amiga's journey into the next generation will be a matter of previews and predictions. The next generation has arrived.

Amiga Active has been preparing for this from the very beginning. Since the very first issue we have been covering the revolution taking place in computing, and over recent months our coverage has increased through our ever-expanding "Next Generation" section. We are now taking the magazine itself into the next stage with a change in focus, and a change in name - to digital.

The first issue of the new format, under the name digital, will be hitting the shelves on November 29th. The magazine will focus on the current revolution in computing that is taking place thanks to the distribution of computing power to many networked components, through Internet and wireless technologies. Digital media are playing in our lives and in our computing environments, and digital magazine will be covering this new area of cutting edge technology in the same detailed, informative and entertaining fashion that we have covered the Amiga market over the last two years.

digital will be there to cover the revolution that Amiga are entering, but will not focus exclusively on Amiga technology. Amiga Inc. are entering a new marketplace at the forefront of a technological innovation that is changing the face of computing in every shape and form, from the desktop to personal communication devices. So are we. We enter that market with the attitudes, ideas and understanding of how these things need to be done that the Amiga market has engendered. Just as Amiga hope to take the lessons of Amiga into the next generation of computing devices, we will be taking the lessons of Amiga Active into the next generation of computing magazines.

With the head start we have been granted through being an Amiga magazine -
which has required us to be very forward-looking over recent years - and through the strong links we have developed with some of the key players in this expanding market, we believe that we are in a position to offer our readers a unique insight into the products, companies and technologies that will define this new market. The formula we have successfully developed through over two years of publishing Amiga Active magazine has always been developed with these changes in mind, and will provide a familiar and effective formula for covering the wider brief that digital magazine will cover.

If you want to stay Active, get digital!

Issue 26 of Amiga Active, out on October 26th, contains further information on the change, but in the meantime, we have compiled a FAQ below that we hope will answer most - if not all - of your questions. Please continue reading...

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When's the change taking place?
A: The next issue (number 26) will be the last one released under the name Amiga Active, and goes on sale on October 25th. The following issue (released, as always, on the last Thursday of the month - November 29th) will bear the new title, digital.

Q: Will this change effect price and availability?
A: Due to the wider brief of the magazine, we will no longer be cover mounting a CD-ROM every month. This will be reflected in a price drop to £3.50 (UKP). Subscribers will be given extensions to their subscriptions to compensate for the lowered cover price - each subscriber will be sent full details shortly. We anticipate a wider newsstand exposure of the magazine.

Q: Are you dropping "Amiga Classic" coverage?
A: Largely. Where it remains relevant to the present rather than the past we will continue to cover it, but we won't be covering products aimed at the now tiny "classic" market. To be honest this has become increasingly difficult for us to do over recent months, both in terms of financial viability and in terms of finding anything new to cover.

Q: Is the same team involved?
A: Yes. While we are continually on the look-out for new writing talent, the current team will continue to produce the magazine just as they have done for the previous 26 issues.

Q: What kind of things can we expect to see in digital?
A: A lot of what you have seen in Amiga Active. We'll have the same technology coverage, the same mix of reviews, features and regulars, and a style and layout which is a refinement of the current appearance of the magazine. The real difference is that the broader market coverage of next generation computing that has so far been mostly restricted to the "Next Generation" section of the magazine will expand to fill the space that has been left behind by dropping coverage of the "Classic Amiga".

Q: We still use classic Amigas! What are we supposed to do?
A: We still use classic Amigas, too. However, the reality we have had to face over the last few months is that covering them in a commercial magazine is becoming impossible. The Amiga market itself is now almost totally focused on creating a transition into the next generation, and we're simply jumping ahead of the transition. We're all sad to be leaving our A1200's and A4000's out of this, but on the other hand we're all relieved to be able to cover interesting innovations rather than filling pages with reviews of bug-fixed shareware updates because there is so little to write about.

Nobody thought that commercial Amiga magazines could have survived for so long covering computers released the best part of a decade ago. Now that Amiga has finally moved on, we are moving on too. The classic line will no doubt remain a hobby for us as with many of you, and fortunately there are great web sites and small, non-commercial titles such as Clubbed to support our hobby.

Q: digital is going to cover the whole new market for computing in the "digital media revolution." How much of that will be Amiga specific?
A: That depends on Amiga's impact on the market. We're all Amiga fans here and will be promoting them and their partners, but we will be covering the broad sweep of activity in this market.

Q: Is this change a good thing or a bad thing?
A: That depends on your point of view. If you're still happy with your A500, you'll probably find this a bad thing. If, on the other hand, you've been missing the days when the Amiga was at the forefront of technology, innovating and leading the way rather than eternally playing catch-up, then this is very much a good thing.

Q: What are digital's plans for the future?
A: Amiga Active magazine is transforming into digital magazine. As originally
planned, this will remain the flagship title from our publishers Active Media Group (formerly Pinprint Publishing). digital will be our "beach head" title, and will over time lead to further launches in the new digital space. If Amiga Inc. are as successful as we hope they will be, this will include a new Amiga specific title in the future.

BACK