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Apple News+ Head of Business Exits Company After Lackluster Start
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Sounds like Liz was a sacrificial lamb.
“Big Name” or not, I’m not sure many people want to pay for the news/magazines these days.
“Big Name” or not, I’m not sure many people want to pay for the news/magazines these days.
it's crap coz most of the articles now don't load in the app itself in reader mode. it says scroll down to see it at the host's website which is usually filled with ads and poor formatting. I want to be able to read the news I click into the second I click into it but it doesn't preload the news that way. I mean, its just all words and no video / media so why can't they prefetch it when I launch the app and scroll through articles.
I also want to be able to hide articles behind new+ paywall so I don't click into that crap and have to back out. if I want to read that news behind the paywall I would just to the host's site and read it from there.
lots of click bait articles too in the compilation. not worth giving them the clicks at all.
overall I open the new apps when I am so bored with all the other entertainment apps but even then I don't spend much time in the news app coz its just horrendous to navigate / read news
I also want to be able to hide articles behind new+ paywall so I don't click into that crap and have to back out. if I want to read that news behind the paywall I would just to the host's site and read it from there.
lots of click bait articles too in the compilation. not worth giving them the clicks at all.
overall I open the new apps when I am so bored with all the other entertainment apps but even then I don't spend much time in the news app coz its just horrendous to navigate / read news
It’s a terrible UI. And too expensive. Needs a yearly price. Too expensive monthly.
I really love the concept behind AppleNews but the app is broken. I think it should be rewritten from the ground up.
The biggest issue is how AppleNews is detached from the world outside of it. People share links to news stories on social media and often times the link will open in Safari where you hit a paywall even though you would be able to read it on AppleNews with your subscription. Searching for the story directly in AppleNews is a pain because Search is irredeemably broken.
The foundations of AppleNews have to be built directly into the operating system. Wherever a link appears anywhere in iOS or macOS, including in third party apps, it should be converted on the fly to the appropriate story in Apple News. In the same way that links anywhere in the OS open in Safari, news stories would be searched automatically for their equivalent in News and opened there instead.
The biggest issue is how AppleNews is detached from the world outside of it. People share links to news stories on social media and often times the link will open in Safari where you hit a paywall even though you would be able to read it on AppleNews with your subscription. Searching for the story directly in AppleNews is a pain because Search is irredeemably broken.
The foundations of AppleNews have to be built directly into the operating system. Wherever a link appears anywhere in iOS or macOS, including in third party apps, it should be converted on the fly to the appropriate story in Apple News. In the same way that links anywhere in the OS open in Safari, news stories would be searched automatically for their equivalent in News and opened there instead.
The fired the head, but it is the entire body of the service to be rotten...
Apple is just really bad when it comes to user experiences on their premium services. Throwing News+ and TV+ in the mix with regular content you have to pay for separately is a MESS
I still buy actual real magazines and think they’re great. Real books are still good for their own reasons, in ways that a tablet can’t replicate. Even still, maybe Apple should have gone all in like they did making TV shows, and rather than aggregate actually create the magazines their platform promotes. If Apple magazines were compelling enough, people would buy in, and the rest of the content would be a bonus.
A couple more problems is the magazine content is best suited to iPad, and not everyone has an iPad.
Otherwise the iPad is such a dynamic device, and yet the content remains to be digital copies of physical real world magazines. Ideally every digital magazine for Apple News is its own bespoke software design and layout, rather than a digital print.
Ultimately the internet is Apple News+ biggest problem. There’s so much to read online already, why would anyone bother paying for it.
The couple times I’ve had the pangs to buy an iPad to read digital magazines I’ve managed to stave it off. I think therein lies a bigger picture idea Apple need to take hold off to sell more iPads, rather than more service subscriptions.
A couple more problems is the magazine content is best suited to iPad, and not everyone has an iPad.
Otherwise the iPad is such a dynamic device, and yet the content remains to be digital copies of physical real world magazines. Ideally every digital magazine for Apple News is its own bespoke software design and layout, rather than a digital print.
Ultimately the internet is Apple News+ biggest problem. There’s so much to read online already, why would anyone bother paying for it.
The couple times I’ve had the pangs to buy an iPad to read digital magazines I’ve managed to stave it off. I think therein lies a bigger picture idea Apple need to take hold off to sell more iPads, rather than more service subscriptions.
Why? AppleTV+ is incredible! I've watched two of the best show I ever seen. About News+ not every Apple service needs to be a huge success, but for many it could be handy.
IMHO, the free news market is oversaturated as it is - the internet in everybody’s pocket, billboards, TV, radio, etc. So, hopefully, people just naturally try to reduce the amount of this info influx and do not want to pay for something that is force-fed into them in high doses on a daily basis?
Paying for news is insane to me. No wonder it’s had a lack-luster start.
I don't find it insane. Even before Internet existed you had the ability to watch news on TV for free, but you had to pay for a newspaper.
Today you have TV, and on the web you have some news sites that restrict content behind a paywall or sites that only rely on ads to run their business so you can still get news for free like in the past, but not everything.
Currently I don't pay for news and sometimes I skip an article because is restricted to subscribers, I can find the same news on another site for free but if I'd be willing to pay in order to get quality material from news and magazines.
Same for software, nowadays everyone expect apps and games to be free with ads or to cost $1, but developers needs to get paid, so do journalists.
People don't complain about paying a few dollars for a coffee or an ice cream but everything they consume digitally has to be free, why?
Nothing too wrong with the execution; it’s the concept. How many magazines or newspaper do people normally purchase a month? Surely not enough to buy into a sub’, especially when having a physical mag/paper is more convenient and nicer to hold.
I am in the free trial and it’s ok. I won’t be subscribing because it’s full of PDF’s and tbh.. £120 a year is just not worth it. If you could bundle Music, TV & News for £15 PM.. I would be in. I’m happy with TV+ and Music (student £5, wouldn’t pay £10)
I think the issue here could be that the people at the top at Apple are all quite (very) wealthy. They spend their days (leisurely breakfast times) reading publications that they enjoy and are loyal to, maybe the Financial Times, maybe other reputable newspapers or magazines and they can afford to subscribe to them all. They think that's what life is like for everyone.
For most people, we get our news via usual sources such as BBC News, or use news aggregating sites such as Google News when and how we can, and we only stay on the surface of news articles, what's happening where and to whom and if we're lucky; why.
We have neither the time nor inclination to care about, some specific journalist we like's, take on the current round of foreign policy or trade agreements, or in depth pieces on a particular politician's upbringing.
I'm not going to pay $10 a month for something like this and I'd bet a lot of people are in a similar boat.
Likewise with AppleTV+, I've only ever consumed media on-demand, never subscribing to a pay satellite tv service that in the past, feed you shows as they're on so you can watch them when they decide you will watch them. I know nowadays they do have an on-demand component to most Satellite/Cable services but having never used those services in the past I'm used to getting my content from on-demand sources such as iTunes movie/TV Series, Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Now AppleTV+ doesn't have the exact same issue but at the same time it has a hand full of shows that Apple have decided that I'll watch, not a huge wide and deep library like Netflix or Amazon Prime. I see nothing appealing in Apple's politically correct line-up of bland shows with no particularly interesting hooks or subject matter.
Apple doesn't have the content really in either service that would make paying for them, for me, worthwhile.
[automerge]1580902524[/automerge]
Maybe they don't want the content consuming space on their device if it's something they have no reason to want to use?
For most people, we get our news via usual sources such as BBC News, or use news aggregating sites such as Google News when and how we can, and we only stay on the surface of news articles, what's happening where and to whom and if we're lucky; why.
We have neither the time nor inclination to care about, some specific journalist we like's, take on the current round of foreign policy or trade agreements, or in depth pieces on a particular politician's upbringing.
I'm not going to pay $10 a month for something like this and I'd bet a lot of people are in a similar boat.
Likewise with AppleTV+, I've only ever consumed media on-demand, never subscribing to a pay satellite tv service that in the past, feed you shows as they're on so you can watch them when they decide you will watch them. I know nowadays they do have an on-demand component to most Satellite/Cable services but having never used those services in the past I'm used to getting my content from on-demand sources such as iTunes movie/TV Series, Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Now AppleTV+ doesn't have the exact same issue but at the same time it has a hand full of shows that Apple have decided that I'll watch, not a huge wide and deep library like Netflix or Amazon Prime. I see nothing appealing in Apple's politically correct line-up of bland shows with no particularly interesting hooks or subject matter.
Apple doesn't have the content really in either service that would make paying for them, for me, worthwhile.
[automerge]1580902524[/automerge]
Maybe they don't want the content consuming space on their device if it's something they have no reason to want to use?
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Magazine's are filled with feature articles. The lack of breaking news sources makes News+ misnamed and not useful for staying informed on current affairs. They should call the service Magazine+.
Is it off base to say that trying to create digital magazines is putting way to much confidence on the nostalgia of an outdated medium?
It’s like a subscription to a digital version of the yellow pages (please don’t tell me that’s actually a thing)
It’s like a subscription to a digital version of the yellow pages (please don’t tell me that’s actually a thing)
Clearly they're right. Otherwise Apple wouldn't be firing the guy for such terrible numbers. I've yet to hear a single human being ever mention this service outside of this website.
You need to be aware of the publishing industry to understand why that’s not only an acceptable rate but actually a better deal for publishers than the status quo.
if you bought a $2 newspaper at a newsstand, the newsstand kept $1. The publisher got the other buck but had to use it to print the paper, distribute it to newsstands and pay its reporters and staff.
Agreed. The whole thing seems like a convoluted mess of a solution looking for a problem. Trying to neatly package up content from thousands of publishers is a lost cause, and like others mentioned, has very limited mass appeal.
Apple is going to monetize services. This is important and they’ll likely stick with it because it makes total sense to do so.
Services continue to perform well, so let’s not act like you know the performance of each segment. These are still new and in the early stages.
Apple News in general is widely used. Music has been a success. TV+ has been award winning even in the early stages. Tim Cook made comments On the most recent call that sounded optimistic.
I used to like News app, until News+ came along and they started adding articles that I cannot read without News+ subscription to my reading feed.
Heavy handed tactics -> so I don't use the app anymore.
Heavy handed tactics -> so I don't use the app anymore.
I can sort of understand the TV+ side of things, because at least Apple owns that top to bottom.
But the 'news' as a service just seemed like a waste of time and resources trying to be a middle man in something completely unrelated to their core competencies.
Apple News as an app to just put UI on rss feeds is one thing, but trying to build out production workflows for magazines, publishers etc., sounds like hell. And based on this article, seems like it hasn't been great for business. I'm sure the guys from Texture are blissfully relaxing on a beach somewhere.