(Apple) Newsstand is a place where apps go to be forgotten

I'd have to agree. If you force users to search for magazines or newspapers (that might or might not contain content you'd like to read) an they're concealed inside an App (like Newsstand) users won't bother. It's just too much trouble. Apps like Flip provide the right solution: The content you'd like to read about can be scanned quickly and you can instantly read it you want to. It's all about (quick access to) the content.