Condé Nast suggested on Tuesday that tablet magazines might have turned a corner with the launch of iOS 5. Since the iPad received access to Newsstand, subscriptions across titles like GQ and The New Yorker climbed 268 percent. Single issues reaped their own rewards and spiked 142 percent, the publisher said.

Executive marketing VP Monica Ray credited it to Newsstand's inherent design. Putting it on the home screen led to "focused attention" and made it easier to find and get magazines, she said. Many have also pointed to the background downloads for Newsstand apps, which cuts down on the sometimes long waits for new issues.