'Rolling Stone' finally available for iPad, features integrated iTunes previews and purchases

Rolling Stone has resisted the allure of launching an iPad-specific version of its magazine, until now — iPad users can now subscribe to Rolling Stone through the official Apple newsstand app. As with most magazines, a full year subscription costs $19.99, while a monthly recurring subscription costs $1.99 per issue. Users can also buy single issues for $4.99. While the magazine has been available for a few months using the Zinio magazines app, the iPad release is a fully-native version that also comes with iTunes integration — any music from an album or song review as well as music mentioned in feature articles has direct links for iTunes samples right in the magazine, and you can also easily tap "buy" to purchase the songs.

That's obviously a boon for Apple, but it should also be nice for readers who want to get a quick preview of the music they're reading about every month. Unfortunately, Rolling Stone's print subscribers will not be getting a double-dip — they'll have to sign up and pay for the digital edition just like everyone else. Those who don't already have a subscription to Rolling Stone and want to stay strictly digital can download the first digital issue now. It's only available for iPad users, though — iPhone and iPod touch owners are out of luck, for now.