Wikipedia

PCMag

(Redirected fromPCMag UK)
For the unrelated German computer magazine, seePC Magazin.

PC Magazine(shortened asPCMag) is an Americancomputer magazinepublished byZiff Davis.A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication ofonlineeditions started in late 1994 and continues as of 2024.

PC Magazine
The digital edition ofPC Magazine,as of September 2011
EditorWendy Sheehan Donnell
Former editorsDan Costa,Lance Ulanoff,Jim Louderback,Michael J. Miller, Bill Machrone,David Bunnell
CategoriesComputer magazine
First issueFebruary/March 1982;42 years ago(1982-03)(asPC)
Final issueJanuary 2009 (print)
CountryUnited States
Based inNew York
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.pcmag.comEdit this at Wikidata
ISSN0888-8507
OCLC960872918

Overview

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PC Magazineprovidesreviewsand previews of the latesthardwareandsoftwarefor theinformation technologyprofessional. Other regular departments include columns by long-time editor-in-chief Michael J. Miller ( "Forward Thinking" ), Bill Machrone, andJim Louderback,as well as:

  • "First Looks" (a collection of reviews of newly released products)
  • "Pipeline" (a collection of short articles and snippets on computer-industry developments)
  • "Solutions" (which includes various how-to articles)
  • "User-to-User" (a section in which the magazine's experts answer user-submitted questions)
  • "After Hours" (a section about various computer entertainment products; the designation "After Hours" is a legacy of the magazine's traditional orientation towards business computing.)
  • "Abort, Retry, Fail?"(a beginning-of-the-magazine humor page which for a few years was known as" Backspace "—and was subsequently the last page).

For several years in the 1980s,PC Magazinegave significant coverage to programming for the IBM PC and compatibles in languages such asTurbo Pascal,BASIC,AssemblyandC.Charles Petzoldwas one of the notable writers on programming topics.

Editor Bill Machrone wrote in 1985, that If an article doesn't evaluate products or enhance productivity, "chances are it doesn't belong inPC Magazine".[1][2]

History

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In an early review of the newIBM PC,Bytereported thatPC: The Independent Guide to the IBM Personal Computer"should be of great interest to owners".[3]The first issue ofPC,dated February–March 1982,[4]appeared early that year.[5](The wordMagazinewas added to the name with the third issue in June 1982,[6]but not added to thelogountil January 1986.)[2]

PC Magazinewas created byDavid Bunnell,Jim Edlin, and Cheryl Woodard[7](who also helped Bunnell found the subsequentPC WorldandMacworldmagazines). David Bunnell, Edward Currie and Tony Gold were the magazines co-founders. Bunnell and Currie created the magazine's business plan atLifeboat Associatesin New York which included, in addition to PC Magazine, explicit plans for publication of PC Tech, PC Week and PC Expositions (PC Expo) all of which were subsequently realized. Tony Gold, a co-founder of Lifeboat Associates financed the magazine in the early stages. The magazine grew beyond the capital required to publish it; to solve this problem, Gold sold the magazine to Ziff-Davis, moving from California toNew York City.[8]By February 1983 it was published by PC Communications Corp., a subsidiary of Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., Bunnell and his staff left to formPC Worldmagazine.[9] The first issue ofPCcarried an interview withBill Gates,[10]made possible by his friendship with David Bunnell, who was among the first journalists and writers to take an interest in personal computing.[11]

Early transition to square binding

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By its third issuePCwassquare-boundbecause it was too thick forsaddle-stitch.At first the magazine published new issues every two months, but became monthly as of the August 1982 issue, its fourth.[6]In March 1983 a reader urged the magazine to consider switching to a biweekly schedule because of its thickness.[12]Although the magazine replied to the reader's proposal with "Please say you're kidding about the bi-weekly schedule. Please?",[12]after the December 1983 issue reached 800 pages in size,[13]in 1984PCbegan publishing new issues every two weeks, with each about 400 pages in size.[5]In January 2008 the magazine dropped back to monthly issues.[14]Print circulation peaked at 1.2 million in the late 1990s. In November 2008 it was announced that the print edition would be discontinued as of the January 2009 issue, but the online version at pcmag.com would continue. By this time print circulation had declined to about 600,000.[15][16]In the December 2022 issue, it was announced that the issue was the last one following the magazine format, and focus was shifted to the pcmag.com website.

The magazine had no ISSN until 1983, when it was assignedISSN0745-2500,which was later changed toISSN0888-8507.

PC Magazine usesGoogle Booksas the official archive of its 27 years as a print publication.[2]

Editor

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Wendy Sheehan Donnellwas appointed editor-in-chief of PCMag.com in January 2022.[17] Donnell had been deputy editor under the previous editor-in-chief,Dan Costa.[18] Costa was editor-in-chief from August 2011 to December 2021.Lance Ulanoffheld the position of editor-in-chief from July 2007 to July 2011.[19]

Jim Louderback was editor-in-chief before Ulanoff, from 2005, and left to becomechief executive officerof online media companyRevision3.

Development and evolution

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The magazine evolved significantly over the years. The most drastic change was the shrinkage of the publication due to contractions in the computer-industry ad market and the easy availability of theInternet,which made computer magazines less necessary. This is also the primary reason for the November 2008 decision to discontinue the print version.[20]It has adapted to the new realities of the 21st century by reducing its once-standard emphasis on massive comparative reviews of computer systems, hardware peripherals, and software packages to focus more on the broader consumer-electronics market. From the late 1990s, the magazine more frequently reviewedMacintoshsoftware and hardware.

PC Magazinewas one of the first publications to have a formal test facility, which they called PC Labs. The name was used early in the magazine, and a physical PC Labs was built at the magazine's 1 Park Avenue, New York facility in 1986. William Wong was the first PC Labs Director.[21]PC Labs created a series of benchmarks, of which older versions can be found on the internet.[22]PC Labs was designed to help writers and editors to evaluate PC hardware and software, especially for large projects like the annual printer edition where almost a hundred printers were compared using PC Labs printer benchmarks.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Machrone, Bill (1985-11-26)."Compatibility Wars—Here and Abroad".PC Magazine.p. 59.
  2. ^abcgriffith, eric (2022-09-27)."40 Years of PCMag: An Illustrated Guide".PC Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-01-29.
  3. ^Williams, Gregg (January 1982)."A Closer Look at the IBM Personal Computer".BYTE.p. 36.
  4. ^"Front cover".PC Magazine.Feb–Mar 1982. p. 1.
  5. ^abSandler, Corey (November 1984)."IBM: Colossus of Armonk".Creative Computing.p. 298.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-09-28.
  6. ^abBunnell, David (June–July 1982)."For Ten Minutes PC Was Free".PC Magazine.Vol. 1, no. 3. p. 19.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-12-19.Retrieved2020-11-18.
  7. ^"Publishing Business Group: How We Started PC Magazine".www.publishingbiz.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-07-30.
  8. ^"40 Years of PCMag: An Illustrated Guide".PCMAG.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-01-29.
  9. ^Wise, Deborah (1982-12-20)."Staff Walks Out onPC Magazine,Starts New Journal ".InfoWorld.4(50). Popular Computing, Inc.: 1–8.ISSN0199-6649.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-07-14.Retrieved2015-12-22.
  10. ^Bunnell, David (Feb–Mar 1982)."The Man Behind The Machine?".PC Magazine(interview). p. 16.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-02-07.Retrieved2020-11-18.
  11. ^Lohr, Steve (1995-06-19)."Adapting 60's Sensibilities to the Internet".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-11-30.
  12. ^abSiebert, Bill (March 1983)."Double Time".PC Magazine.p. 31.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-12-19.Retrieved2020-11-18.
  13. ^"Front cover".PC.December 1983.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-12-19.Retrieved2020-11-18.
  14. ^"PC Magazine issues list".PC Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-03-28.
  15. ^Lance Ulanoff (2008-11-19)."PC Magazine Goes 100% Digital".PC Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-01-08.
  16. ^Clifford, Stephanie (2008-11-19)."PC Magazine, a Flagship for Ziff Davis, Will Cease Printing a Paper Version".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-07-13.
  17. ^Silber, Tony (2022-01-25)."Ziff Media Group Appoints New PCMag and Mashable Editors-in-chief".MediaPost.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-01-27.
  18. ^"New editor at PCMag.com".talkingbiznews.com.2011-07-12.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-01-27.
  19. ^"Ulanoff Named Editor in Chief of PC Magazine Network".adage.com.2008-04-11.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-01-27.
  20. ^"PC Magazine Goes 100% Digital".PCMAG.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-03-14.Retrieved2023-12-19.
  21. ^Wong, William (2018)."Remembering PC Mag Editors".electronicdesign.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-08-05.Retrieved2021-03-26.
  22. ^"PC Magazine Labs Performance Tests 1.x".winworldpc.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-07-28.Retrieved2021-03-26.
  23. ^"PC Magazine".PCMag.5(19). 1986.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-12-19.Retrieved2021-03-26.
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