Comments on: Wired's first issue (1993) plus 12,000 word oral history of Wired as a free iPad app

By: Jenonymous

Jenonymous — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:32:00 +0000

I kept all of my issues until there were too damn many of them; now I have just the first 2 years or so. I am a sucker for first issues of new magazines; I still have my Issue #1 in near-mint condition on my shelf.

The magazine has had a lot of ups and downs. After year 3 or so it went from a supercool mag with Bruce Sterling and Laurie Anderson on the cover to sensationalistic crapfest, and now it’s somewhere in between. I read it on my iPad now; the irony is (when looking back at the old issues) just how off some of the predictions were.

By: Marco Kotrotsos

Marco Kotrotsos — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:08:00 +0000

I too have the first 5 in mint condition, sits on one of the more proud shelves in my room.

By: Ant

Ant — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 23:53:00 +0000

How so?

By: Al Billings

Al Billings — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 17:56:00 +0000

Do you want some cheese with that?

By: MrScience

MrScience — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:10:00 +0000

I, too, have this issue (and nearly all of the rest0). I remember reading the article on cellphone hacking in High School, and being amazed that someone could publish it. I made sure to pick it up for years, and then got a subscription.

By: John Maple

John Maple — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 07:51:00 +0000

Ha, I have this very issue – only – tucked away in my closet and I remember exactly where I bought it too. Time has really brought change . . .

By: ewwendt

ewwendt — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 04:37:00 +0000

Picked up my first issue of Wired with Neal Stephenson on the cover; massive issue, modern ones barely come close to half of it. Been reading it since, saving each issue (even if many of them weren’t worth keeping). Found a seller on craigslist offloading his entire collection and bought it all for cheap, so finally have every issue except the first, which sold out in a flash.

By: TheOmbudsman

TheOmbudsman — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:59:00 +0000

I’ve still got my copy of that first issue. I recall being slightly puzzled when I saw it and wondered “Why is the top of Bruce’s head on this magazine” as I’d met Sterling a couple of times in the previous couple of years.

By: Idon't Know

Idon't Know — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:02:00 +0000

I remember buying this in a grocery store. Should have kept it. Even though I have an iPad you have to wonder why it is iPad only.

By: Matthew Petty

Matthew Petty — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:57:00 +0000

I always thought the numbering of the issues as 1.1, 1.2 etc was just the same as loads of other magazines, which insist on calling issues “Volume 16 Issue 5″ which annoys me. When was it published?!

By: LikesTurtles

LikesTurtles — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:34:00 +0000

Hasn’t issue one been on the website for a long time? I parted with my complete collection (even west and east coast editions) of Wired magazines a couple of years ago because they were all online. The only use for them was to look cool on the bookshelf especially with a black light. Hope they haven’t turned off the website archives in favor of forcing everyone to access the collection through mobile device apps.

As an aside: Wired peaked with the ‘Hacker Tourist’ issue. The article about transocean cables was one of the geekiest articles I’ve ever read. Seriously, if you haven’t read it, it’s well worth your time to do so.

By: Juby Monkey

Juby Monkey — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:33:00 +0000

Wired sucks.

By: Toxoplasma

Toxoplasma — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:31:00 +0000

iPad only? wtf?

By: LikesTurtles

LikesTurtles — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:29:00 +0000

Some of the early ads were for companies that didn’t appear to exist. I wonder if Wired made up ads just to make the magazine look like it had more appeal to advertisers than it actually did.

By: beemoh

beemoh — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:08:00 +0000

“WIRED launched in the middle of advertising depression and many magazines hit stands without any paid advertisements at all.”

Which seems to be a theme- a few people took the mickey out of the launch of Wired UK’s current incarnation for starting in the middle of a recession.

By: neurogami

neurogami — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Didn’t the first issue of Wired predict the Internet and mobile would be a set of disjoint walled gardens contolled by media conglomerates catering to hipsters?

By: Nadreck

Nadreck — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:51:00 +0000

“Free” after your wireless costs and the cost of the iPad. What’s the matter with a PDF?

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:42:00 +0000

Does it have the peeing baby ad?