Steve Smith's Review of... Swimsuit-The App-Of Course. Thirty Years of "Sports Illustrated's" 50 Years of Swimsuit Ad Pages. SI SWIMSUIT ISSUE AD PAGES -- since anniversary #20 in 1984 "ESPN" Eschews Swimsuits for Birthday Suits.

Sports Illustrated has been showcasing its Swimsuit issue for 50 years, but the onset of digitization took this phenomenon to new marketing levels. Since the Apple App Store debuted in 2008, SI has been defining the leading edge of freemium magazine content. The 2014 edition of the Swimsuit iPhone app is especially elegant.

Among the Swimsuit app's strongest characteristics is its defining content trove. The free area has a smattering of models and images, but the premium product offers access to over 75 videos and hundreds of images.

The body-painting section has 360-degree interactive views. The HD images enable pinch and zoom. And the videos have AirPlay support for using the app as a kind of remote and DVR.

The app has grown dense with content and options as it now contains three years of material you can toggle through....