Flipboard Gets Major Revamp, Introduces New “Smart Magazines”

Flipboard has today been updated to version 4.0, that brings a completely redesigned look to the popular social magazine app and introduces new “Smart Magazines” which gives users a new way to find news stories and other content related to their interests. Long-time readers who follow lots of content should find a more streamlined experience, while new users will be able to dive right into their passions with minimal setup.

Smart Magazines offer a new way to organize the world’s stories, curated by experts and enthusiasts, into continually updating collections that can be personalized by you. Each of your Smart Magazines has a sleek new shelf space — the Home carousel, that offers quick access to important and inspiring content about your passions. 

Flipboard CEO Mike McCue said the big goal behind this update was to answer the question, “How can we modernize the notion of magazines?” Like many print magazines, these Smart Magazines are meant help you dive deep in a specific topic, but they also take advantage of opportunities for customization and personalization. At the same time, McCue said that the update is a rethinking of the Flipboard experience for new and existing users (via TechCrunch).

McCue said he expects most users to follow just a handful of Smart Magazines — “People are interested in lots of things, but they’re only passionate about a few” — which is why there are only nine slots on the home screen. You can create more than nine Smart Magazines if you want, but then you’ll have to go to the Magazines section of the app to find them.

“I just think that there’s a very large population of people who want to go to a place where there is a collection of stories about the thing that they really care about — not just a random collection of stuff,” McCue said. “I just think that’s a truism.”

You can grab the latest version of Flipboard for iOS using the following App Store link:

Download Flipboard for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad [Direct Link]