“The Daily” is supposed to be an iPad-only digital newspaper from News Corp and CEO Rupert Murdoch said it will be launching within two weeks for 99 cents per week.
We’ve head about “The Daily” a couple of times before and it should be an ambitious attempt by a news publisher to bring original content to this next-generation wave of devices. While may magazines and newspapers have apps, “The Daily” is going to be an iPad digital newspaper with original content that can’t be had anywhere else.
Is there enough interest out there for an iPad digital newspaper that can’t be read anywhere else? I’m torn on that issue because I love the free-linking nature of the web but do think that a customized app can add a lot to the reading experience. Additionally, at only 99 cents a week, I could likely afford to subscribe and not have to worry too much about it.
The iPad digital newspaper is significant enough but the supposed subscription service that will launch with “The Daily” is also going to be important. Magazines like Wired often sell you a year subscription of the hard copy for $10 but it sells each individual issue app for $5 or so. By having a subscription model tied with the iPad and other tablets, magazines might be able to get larger audiences with their digital versions.
The subscription issue, along with Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ health, may be why “The Daily” has been pushed back beyond its rumored Jan. 19 debut. We expect the iOS 4.3 software to have a way for users to subscribe to magazines and newspapers while still giving publishers some access to the demographic data of its subscribers, which is important because this is how many publishers target its advertisements.
Will you be giving “The Daily” a shot?
[Via Reuters]