I got this as a freebie when I bought another product. It's a very strange magazine. I doubt that I'll subscribe after my free year is over, but pick up a copy and judge for yourself.
Sadly, its time has passed.
I used to love Wired, and read every issue cover-to-cover. Unfortunately, it's now just a shadow of its former self. Since being sold to Conde Nast publications (or even before?), Wired has been stripped of its meat and transformed into even more of an ad-laden pseudo-catalog than it once was. The irony of the title has become even more obvious as online forums and publications have matured while Wired's writing has lost its urgency and its ad/content ratio has degraded. Unless you're looking for a catalog of geek toys to flip through, your money is better spent elsewhere.
Bulky, eye-catching ads, but not much content
Wired always seems to have a pulse on what's happening in the "New Economy". However, I found most of the articles to be long-winded and not too insightful. The magazine has a hip image, great cutting edge ads, but I'd prefer Red Herring anyday. It seems like a lot to pay for a magazine that has so many ads.
Very naive writers but occasionally has an excellent article.
I have to say that I get my copy of Wired for free. It is simply not worth subscribing to. Why? The writers either fawn excessively over some product or person or they are so naive that they believe anything a celebrity/writer/etc tells them. You could sell them just about any story as real even if it was about aliens in Roswell. I have never encountered a magazine that continually passes off truths based on total hearsay. Ex; the story about Facebook and the movie was ludicrous to say the least. On the other hand, Wired usually have at least one interesting article in each magazine. As such if you can get a subscription cheap enough, it might be worth it.
Needle in a Haystack
After reading many interesting articles on the Wired website, I figured I'd try the magazine since it is cheap. I won't be renewing that subscription.
There ARE some genuinely interesting, informative, etc articles in the magazine. Unfortunately there are only a few such articles and you'll have to wade through myriad ads, fluff, and pretentious rants to find them.
Better off reading only the interesting articles online for free.
skin deep
too many ads, not one single finished product. what is the point of this magazine? aw yeah, i've heard about the global warming but don't ask me what where why is happening type of no-information? no, thank you, it is a waste of time, and lots of trees...
Fired
Whatever Wired may once have been, it no longer is. I've been a sporadic reader for years, but I think that just ended with this month's issue. You know, the one with Martha on the cover. Yes, that Martha.
It may still be the journal of the ADD generation - only about two pieces lasted longer than a two-page spread. The larger part of the magazine looks like flocks of featurelets, up to a half-dozen per page, flying in close formation. The vaguely-connected fragments include sound-bites, factoids, and how-to blurbs for people not real strong on following directions.
One feature distinguished this month's issue from any other magazine I've ever seen: complete unification of content and advertising. There's no clue which is which in the visual style, since the magazine is mostly about selling some ill-defined technological "coolness" anyway. Perhaps as a result, descriptive ads and product-placed articles have grown almost completely together. More than once, I honestly couldn't tell the difference.
Bye-bye, Wired. The next generation of magazines, Seed included, are now doing what you used to do, but maybe better.
-- wiredweird, no relation
too much advertistements
The issue (first one) I got was completely filled with advertisements you had to literally hunt for content.
A magazine about stuff.
Wired is mostly about stuff. Namely stuff you don't have, stuff you can't afford, and stuff that if you do own you aren't using to its full potential. The stuff is so pervasive through the magazine that it's hard to tell ads from articles. And the ads. You have to go through 15 pages of ads just to get to the table of contents. After that it's another 15 pages before you get to any content. The categories are so eclectic you never know what you're getting in each issue. One issue may contain reviews of folding bicycles while another issue will have the beauty secrets of Japanese teens. Online stories from Wired are among the most informative and well researched out there. In the magazine there usually aren't more than 2 that are worth reading. Wired represents traditional print competing with online sources. If you were to open up 20 random web pages, you'll get a pretty good approximation of what Wired is about.
Just Plain Boring
As a self confessed geeky type I was really looking forward to my first issue. Maybe my excitement had built too much during the 3 months it took for the damn thing to arrive, but the first issue was quite disappointing. Give it another chance I thought - second issue arrived today and I have pretty much the same opinion.
So what's the problem - IMHO the magazine has an identity crisis. It tries to be a lot of things (new technology reporter, product reviewer, political commentator) but doesn't quite cut it in any of these categories. As a result it becomes a rather disjointed read. In the end you get bored quickly.
