A mere 24 hours or so after the release of “The Daily”, and 2 issues into its free two-week trial, I’ve already concluded that a subscription is not in my immediate future.
While The Daily is a noble experiment in “newer-media” publishing, and while I cannot help but applaud News Corp for desiring to innovate and to help lead the way for the newspaper industry in the age of e-reading, it’s clear to me that they don’t quite understand the medium they are publishing on as much as the media they are providing. In no particular order, here are my reasons why I will likely be deleting the app soon:
- IT CRASHES. A LOT.
Roughly every 5 times I launch the app, I am able to read an article. There’s no guarantee that it won’t crash while I am reading, either. Joe’s First Rule of App Development clearly states that it’s pointless to deliver an app that doesn’t work the majority of the time its used. News Corp needs to sort this out quickly – not many people will pay for content that has a 30% chance of being able to be accessed.
- IT’S CUMBERSOME.
If you see an article that you want to read in the main “carousel”, it takes 2 taps and a lot of lag time until you actually get beyond the headline. While the format is similar to most newsmagazines (picture with headline and teaser on a single page, with the article on the next page), the app takes way too long to actually get to the article, making it more an exercise in frustration. Pick any RSS news reader – or any web page, for that matter – and you’ve got a much more streamlined experience. The carousel is clunky, sluggish, and feels nothing like an iOS app at all – to the point where I am almost surprised that Apple approved the app.
- THERE’S NOTHING REALLY NEW.
When it gets right down to it, there’s nothing new being brought to the table. It’s essentially the same news in a slightly flashier format that adds no value. In fact, you could say that all the hype around how revolutionary The Daily’s format and presentation would have been more apropos for the launch of Pulse or Flipboard.
The Daily was launched with such anticipation and fanfare that I cannot help but be quite disappointed. Unless and until these concerns are addressed, I’ll still be getting my news via Fluent News and Pulse – for free.
Continue reading:
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- Apple Watch Pre-Order
- Apple Research Kit launches with 5 Apps
- Apple TV now only $69
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