The latest Apple event featured several announcements,
perhaps the biggest being the unveiling of Apple TV+, the
company’s answer to the booming growth of Netflix and
the streaming video industry.
perhaps the biggest being the unveiling of Apple TV+, the
company’s answer to the booming growth of Netflix and
the streaming video industry.
But the only thing it launched that you can
buy today was Apple News+, a
subscription magazine-and-newspaper reading service that costs $10 a month.
buy today was Apple News+, a
subscription magazine-and-newspaper reading service that costs $10 a month.
Since its launch, reviewers have checked in
with a range of viewpoints that lean generally positive, though more so for its
delivery of magazine content than of newspapers. Its long-term effect on
the financial fortunes of the publications that participate remains to be seen.
(The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Barron’s parent company News Corp . (NWS), is among the participants.)
with a range of viewpoints that lean generally positive, though more so for its
delivery of magazine content than of newspapers. Its long-term effect on
the financial fortunes of the publications that participate remains to be seen.
(The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Barron’s parent company News Corp . (NWS), is among the participants.)
Initially at least, consumers have been
interested. More than 200,000 people reportedly subscribed during
the service’s first 48 hours, though the company was (and still is) offering a
free trial. But there was also some consternation about what wasn’t there at launch, though
it contains more than 300 publications.
interested. More than 200,000 people reportedly subscribed during
the service’s first 48 hours, though the company was (and still is) offering a
free trial. But there was also some consternation about what wasn’t there at launch, though
it contains more than 300 publications.
“Outlets like the New York
Times and Washington
Post are still not there,” Engadget’s Nicole Lee noted. “This
could be due to Apple asking for a 50 percent cut, and that it wants unlimited
access. Additionally, publishers usually want direct access to customers, and
not have to go through a middleman like Apple. Still, the sheer ubiquity of
Apple’s News app on every phone and iPad could be enough to sway publisher’s
minds.”
Times and Washington
Post are still not there,” Engadget’s Nicole Lee noted. “This
could be due to Apple asking for a 50 percent cut, and that it wants unlimited
access. Additionally, publishers usually want direct access to customers, and
not have to go through a middleman like Apple. Still, the sheer ubiquity of
Apple’s News app on every phone and iPad could be enough to sway publisher’s
minds.”
Here’s a selection of commentary from reviewers who covered
Apple’s new news service.
Apple’s new news service.
• Getting started is easy. “One of the easiest things to do with
News+ is sign up for it,” Philip Michaelswrote for Tom’sGuide.
News+ is sign up for it,” Philip Michaelswrote for Tom’sGuide.
“Apple’s latest iOS 12 and macOS Mojave updates add News+ to the
app. On your iPhone or iPad, News+ lives in a tab at the bottom of the screen,
while on your Mac, you’ll find it just below the Today channel in the News
app,” Michaels wrote. “To sign up for News+, just click on the tab, and follow
the on-screen instructions. The first month of News+ is free, so you’ve got 30
days to see if the extra content satisfies your nose for news.”
app. On your iPhone or iPad, News+ lives in a tab at the bottom of the screen,
while on your Mac, you’ll find it just below the Today channel in the News
app,” Michaels wrote. “To sign up for News+, just click on the tab, and follow
the on-screen instructions. The first month of News+ is free, so you’ve got 30
days to see if the extra content satisfies your nose for news.”
• Once you’re in, the magazine experience is a mixed bag—but one
that, according toCNBC’s Todd Hasleton, shows promise. “Most magazine apps I’ve used
just look like PDF scans of a magazine, and you need to zoom around in them to
read stories,” he wrote. “This is still the case for magazines such as Boating, which haven’t been updated to Apple’s style.”
that, according toCNBC’s Todd Hasleton, shows promise. “Most magazine apps I’ve used
just look like PDF scans of a magazine, and you need to zoom around in them to
read stories,” he wrote. “This is still the case for magazines such as Boating, which haven’t been updated to Apple’s style.”
“But Apple beautifully lays out other magazines, such as the New Yorker and National
Geographic, allowing you to quickly flip between articles and read
them in clean formatting that’s catered to the iPad and iPhone. There are even
a few nice touches, like animated magazine covers, which make the app feel a
bit more alive,” Hasleton wrote. “I preferred the magazines with this improved
formatting, and I hope others adopt it in the coming months.”
Geographic, allowing you to quickly flip between articles and read
them in clean formatting that’s catered to the iPad and iPhone. There are even
a few nice touches, like animated magazine covers, which make the app feel a
bit more alive,” Hasleton wrote. “I preferred the magazines with this improved
formatting, and I hope others adopt it in the coming months.”
• Its strength—aggregation—is also a weakness, according
to TheWall Street Journal’sDavid Pierce, because it excludes so many sources of news people now
expect to use, and which they can find on the web, outside Apple’s walls.
to TheWall Street Journal’sDavid Pierce, because it excludes so many sources of news people now
expect to use, and which they can find on the web, outside Apple’s walls.
“I do enjoy the experience of leafing through a magazine. It feels
finite and packaged, where the open web can feel chaotic. If that’s worth $10 a
month to you, go for it,” Pierce wrote. “But the trends go the other way. We
get our news from many sources, more than once a week or month. We also get
news from podcasts and video, which don’t yet exist in the world of Apple
News+.”
finite and packaged, where the open web can feel chaotic. If that’s worth $10 a
month to you, go for it,” Pierce wrote. “But the trends go the other way. We
get our news from many sources, more than once a week or month. We also get
news from podcasts and video, which don’t yet exist in the world of Apple
News+.”
• For readers, Nick Statt wroteon TheVerge, the question of whether the product makes sense comes
down to volume.
down to volume.
“I’s safe to say that for those who enjoy magazines, News Plus
is a solid deal,” Pratt wrote. “If you’re content with just perusing individual
issues as they get released, you’ll get your money’s worth if you read upward
of three or more publications a month. Since Apple is offering a free trial for
the first month, it’s relatively easy to discover for yourself if this is a
service you’ll really want to use in the long run.”
is a solid deal,” Pratt wrote. “If you’re content with just perusing individual
issues as they get released, you’ll get your money’s worth if you read upward
of three or more publications a month. Since Apple is offering a free trial for
the first month, it’s relatively easy to discover for yourself if this is a
service you’ll really want to use in the long run.”