After a decent amount of buildup (and delay), Rupert Murdoch’s iPad-only “newspaper” launched yesterday. The Daily is a brand new publication, delivered uh daily, designed to leverage Apple’s tablet experience and the new App Store subscription service… once our two week free trials have expired.
The concept is progressive and the pricing is reasonable ($0.99/wk, or $40/yr). Yet, after taking a gander, I’m not feeling it. The visual carousel index is sluggish and grainy, while general navigation seems somewhat inconsistant. More importantly, the content is mostly uncompelling bite-sized fluff that prioritizes gossip over opinion. And I’m left wondering if what we really need is another publication that aspires to be all things to all people?
For broad coverage, I’ll put my money on the old guard improving their curation and digital presentation as we move forward. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post won’t teeter on the edge of obsolescence without putting up a fight. They see the cliff. And I suspect they’ll evolve just fast enough to avoid it.
But, one last thought on The Daily via Rafat Ali:
If The Daily wants to be read daily, it needs to be on iPhone. As a commuter read, at least in NYC. NYT iPhone app is my subway paper.