Reading article such as this really leave me shaking my head in disbelief. Not because of what is said but rather because of what is not. Defining a digital edition as a print “replica” is like viewing the Grand Canyon through a cardboard tube. It focuses solely on your first glance and ignores all the benefits behind the scene.
The other point that needs addressing is your comment regarding “one of the big gotchas with Zinio magazines”. They are a very successful company that, as far as I know, have never produced a portrait view of a publication. If you get the chance, have a look at most of the digital edition providers products and you’ll notice they all have a 2-page “landscape” format as you recommend.

Now that we’ve managed to clear up your reason for not having any digital edition subscriptions, perhaps you can let us know which of the thousands of the “got the format right” publications you’ve decided to plunk down your money for?