“The 21st Century Begins Now”, according to David Granger, Esquire’s editor in chief. At least that’s what the magazine cover will flash at newsstands in September.

E-Ink is the company that produced the upcoming cover, and if that sounds familiar, that’s because E-Ink tech is used in Amazon’s Kindle. While it has never been done for a magazine cover, the technology has been used for supermarket displays.

While it’s apparent the wording on the cover is meant to underscore the importance of the technology, the route is as backwards as the statement. The burgeoning technology is seen as a realistic alternative to the distribution of information, with a paper-less future envisioned by some. The Esquire cover has a 100,000 hard count press run with batteries that will run out after 90 days.

Esquire’s parent company, Hearst Corporation, is a major shareholder in E-Ink. As such, it’s hard to imagine that they will continue to produce unwieldy magazine covers, instead opting at some future time to utilize electronic ink in a manner more appropriate of its capabilities. Hopefully it won’t take until the 22nd century for Esquire to start creating downloadable issues.