Writing about Apple generates page views, no question. But if you really want some eyeballs try drawing a long enough bow to link Apple with failure as Technology Review have attempted with this article.
Apparently their iPad Apps have failed to generate the revenue, and cost more to develop, than they assumed after diving into the deep end without floaties. But this is (apparently) a failure of the medium, not their ability to conduct thorough research and project planning before creating an App.
The article speaks about issues of going over budget and Apple taking their cut. These problems could’ve been discovered before a dollar was spent. Problems that readers faced with the app are raised in the article, however no mention is made of attempting to fix these problems to create a better experience.
In short it seems little effort was expounded in the planning, creation, deployment and ongoing development of this application — and yet the App-based medium is to blame. Allegedly. The solution provided at the end is to double-down efforts on the web, the very platform that has failed to generate real levels of cash-flow for almost any site.
Apps should have provided an opportunity to publishers to make a hard break and offer a better experience that people would have wanted to pay for. Instead in this case it was a limited experience at a premium price when their website was better all along.
A well made website is going to be a better experience than a terrible application and it’s clear where their primary focus was all along. I read a lot on my iPad but I much prefer long form articles within applications that are wholly designed for reading.
For example, I much prefer reading articles on The Age’s app than their website. The ads are less intrusive and switching between articles and sections is much faster. There’s less information overload on every screen, it is intended for the user to read articles, not click one of a thousand links (half of them ads). But why wasn’t this a premium application from the start? They have given away a better experience than their website for free.
At some point we’re going to find a water level between websites and apps, premium and free, but right now lets not blame the medium for content delivery.