This is shocking news for anyone even tangentially connected to the industrial design scene... but ID Magazine, the hallmark publication on the subject - and one of my personal fav's - is ceasing publication come January 2010. While I concede that blogs such as Core77.com, Dezeen.com and to a lesser extent MocoLoco/Gizmodo/Engadget fulfill many of the roles of I.D., blogs are not equal to editorialized content. This certainly puts a pall over the holiday season for your friendly neighbourhood Editor from PCSTATS. :-(

UK's The Independent puts it this way; "America's oldest design publication, I.D. Magazine announced December 15 that the January/February issue would be its last after 55 years in print. Publisher and editorial director Gary Lynch explained the reasons for the closure as follows: "Certainly the downturn in print advertising has contributed to this decision, but other factors include the fragmentation and specialized information needs of I.D.'s core readers (product designers) and the plethora of information resources available to them-some for free (online and B2B) and others that are highly specialized and targeted to specific industries served." I.D., which was published eight times a year by F+W Media, has won five National Magazine Awards since its inception in 1954."