I think what iOS brings to the table here is Newsstand and its subscription model. This is probably more important than any technical layout advantages. The open web is great, but I think its also valuable to experiment with a platform where writers can get paid by readers instead of advertisers. An independent player might have a better chance at that on Newsstand than on the open web.
This is slightly off topic, ... but does anyone feel that Newsstand does not actually bring much to the table? I wish Apple had written Newsstand as a new "special Home Screen page" (like Spotlight). It could have the iBooks backdrop and show iBooks + magazines + Safari Reading List on there. The iPad would be a killer reading machine. :(
Instead, Newsstand is a folder that non-users hate (undeletable) and users probably don't love either, because who would put all the magazines they regularly read into a folder, given a choice?
