Yeah there is definitely value in the stapled sheaf of pages. I still read The Economist this way. It’s nice having a contained space that says: in the judgement of the editors, this is the most important stuff for the time period this issue covers. Online is a constant dribble of stuff—no snapshots.
And putting magazines online in PDF is just miserable. The Economist does a not bad job of putting magazines in the app in readable format.
That, and being in paper form alone brings a great deal of value. The medium is the message, after all, and magazines in electronic form do not substitute adequately for printed magazines in many, many ways.
Electronic form brings unique advantages, of course, but also removes advantages of printed form. It's a trade-off. That trade-off works very well for certain types of publications, and works terribly for others. I argue that magazines is one of the things it works terribly for.
And putting magazines online in PDF is just miserable. The Economist does a not bad job of putting magazines in the app in readable format.