In a surprise announcement, Mac Publishing LLC has announced that they are buying MacCentral Online. Mac Publishing LLC is the joint venture owned by Ziff-Davis and International Data Group (IDG). Mac Publishing was formed during the darkest days of Apple's death spiral when MacUser was folded into Macworld Magazine and MacWeek became Immedia Weekly. The resulting properties were controlled by Mac Publishing, the joint venture. According to Mac Publishing:
Mac Publishing LLC, the publisher of Macworld magazine, Macworld Online, iMacworld, MacBuy.com and MacWEEK.com, announced Tuesday the acquisition of MacCentral Online.
"The combination of Macworld Online and MacCentral Online not only creates a world-class Macintosh information, news and reviews site but presents broad and expanded opportunities to reach a variety Macintosh users -- from professionals to aficionados," said Colin Crawford, Mac Publishing president and CEO, in a statement.
Each publication brings a different corner of the Mac community to form a comprehensive Internet resource that serves the entire Macintosh population, Mac Publishing said.
"The synergy and momentum created by this union enables Macworld Online and MacCentral Online to offer unparalleled access to information and resources across a broad spectrum of Macintosh users," said Stan Flack, president and publisher of MacCentral Inc. "Today's announcement begins a new chapter for Mac users on the Web, and MacCentral is very excited to be a part of that process."
MacCentral Online has been providing news and resources to the Mac online community since September 1995. Updated daily, MacCentral attracts 750,000 unique visitors every month.
Macworld Online together with MacWEEK.com and iMacworld.com are among the top contributors of visitors to ZDNet and log more than 850,000 unique online visitors per month. Headquartered in San Francisco, Mac Publishing LLC is a joint venture between Ziff-Davis Inc. and International Data Group.
The ownership change takes place immediately but Mr. Crawford told the Mac Observer that Stan Flack, founder and President of MacCentral will continue to run MacCentral and that all staff currently in place at Macworld and MacCentral would remain in place.
MacCentral used to belong to The MacAddict Network (soon to be the MacDaily Network), and rumors had circulated that the site would rejoin the network in the near future. With the new ownership in place, that membership is now virtually dead.
The Mac Observer Spin: It has been a time for surprises of late. We would like to congratulate MacCentral and Mac Publishing, especially Mr. Flack. A particular aspect of this announcement that is surprising is the fact that MacCentral receives more traffic than either MacWeek or Macworld Online according to the numbers issued in this press release (with 850,000 unique visitors per month for all titles combined on the Ziff-Davis side and 750,000 just for MacCentral). While Macworld is of course still in print, this should be a wake up call to Apple that online magazines are here to stay and a major source of information for Mac users.
With MacCentral becoming part of the ZD machine, MacInTouch becomes the sole contender for Largest Independent Mac Site.
Macworld Online
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