Apple's done a pretty good job convincing the old media that the
iPad will save their industry, so we've taken our time trying out the launch titles in the App Store -- it's plain to see that different publishers have radically different ideas about how you're supposed to buy and consume their content, and everything from pricing to UI is currently up in the air. But while the apps we've seen so far are definitely intriguing, we haven't seen any silver bullets yet -- and to be perfectly honest, in several cases we wondered why an app was preferable to an iPad-optimized web site, or even (gasp) a paper subscription. Let's run down the launch lineup, shall we?
Update: We added in NPR and Zinio by popular request, check 'em out below!
The Wall Street Journal (free app, $3.99/week subscription required for full content) - This is one of the superstar halo launch apps for the iPad, but honestly, we have no idea why. Everything about it is a little confusing -- it's free, but it constantly reminds you that you need an expensive subscription to get anything more than what's available on the WSJ website. The interface is beautiful, but you navigate it with a set of gestures totally alien to the iPhone OS, like pinch-to-go-back -- a gesture that Fusion Garage actually took
out of the JooJoo because it was confusing. It's also the slowest app on our iPad: moving around it is seriously laggy, and there's a big delay between pushing a video play button and getting any feedback that the video's about to play. Yes, the WSJ app is a beautiful digital representation of a paper newspaper, but that doesn't make it a good app -- just swiping up and down to change sections is slow and unresponsive to the point of irritation. We'd much rather buy a cheaper paper sub to the WSJ with bundled online access to the videos and archives than play around with this noise. [
See in iTunes]
New York Times Editor's Choice (free) - The NYT's early entry into the iPad game hasn't gotten as much hype as the WSJ, but it's actually quite well-done. The content is an abbreviated edition of today's paper -- hence, "editor's choice" -- but it's all presented beautifully, and navigation is simple and intuitive. Sure, there's less content available than on even the iPhone app, and there's no font re-sizing, or video, or full-screen slideshows, but the app is extremely effective at just getting out of the way and letting you read -- in fact, we prefer it to the NYT's website. Could more be done here? Absolutely, yes, but in terms of using the iPad as a replacement for the morning newspaper, the NYT app is about as close as it gets. [
See in iTunes]
Associated Press (free) - Unlike several of the other publications, the AP didn't try and fake a newspaper layout with its iPad app -- it's gone with a bulletin board vibe instead. Navigation within each section is horizontal, rather than vertical, and individual stories pop over the main interface in a modal window with arrows at the top that let you click through the previous and next articles. The picture and video browsers are sparse, with thumbnails laid out horizontally as if on a table, and don't really tell you what you're looking at when you browse -- you have to tap each image for more info. The videos look good when played back full screen, but you can't expand the photos, which is odd. Overall, it's a nice app with room for improvement -- we love the customization options and offline reading capabilities, but the AP is just scratching the surface here. But hey -- it's free!
[
See in iTunes]
USA Today (free app, will require paid subscription after July 4) - The first app we managed to crash on the iPad! That's not a good sign. It's also, well, kind of ugly. Seriously -- we wouldn't hold up USA Today's web site as a paragon of design or beauty, but it blows the front page of the iPad app out of the water. Just look at all those broken paragraphs! Happily, things improve mightily once you click into an article, and the gestures used to navigate make sense -- down to read more, left / right to move between pieces. We're not seeing any video content, and you can't zoom in on article images, although there is a "Day in Pictures" slideshow. All in all, it's a totally passable free app, but we can't say it offers nearly enough on top of the website to justify whatever subscription fee will go into effect this summer. [
See in iTunes]
Thomson Reuters News Pro (free) - Our favorite news app so far. The Reuters app doesn't chase its tail trying to reinvent dead mediums -- it just fills the screen with high-quality content. Even better, it does it for free. Content is organized well and the UI is dead simple, although it could stand a little tweaking with gestures: swipes to move between articles instead of tiny little buttons would be nice in all views, instead of just the slide show view. Video plays well and can be made full screen, the stocks viewer offers a nicely multitouch price graph and customizable news results, and there's a constantly updated currency converter, for some reason. Is it better than the website, which offers the same content and is updated slightly faster? Not really, but we'd say the iPad-specific interface tweaks and speedier load times make it worth a download -- especially since it's free. [
See in iTunes]
BBC News (free) - Our third-favorite news app, only because there's no full-screen article view -- you're stuck reading in this two-pane view -- and you can't zoom in on photos. That said, it is a free app, there's plenty of video, and it streams BBC Radio live. As with all of these apps, there's some UI quirkiness here, but it's nothing terrible: you open articles from the news feed by locating and tapping an absolutely minuscule icon on the right, text zooming is done with two icons rather than a slider or pinching, and it's never quite clear when the radio will or won't play. Again, it's not so much better than the BBC website that it'd be worth paying for, but it's free, fast, and well-done, so it's hard to complain.
[
See in iTunes]
Le Monde ($.99 app, today's paper free, archive requires purchase) - It's not just the English rags that are trying to save themselves from obsolescence -- premier French paper Le Monde also has an iPad app out. We're not too up on our French, but we will say the app is much more pleasant than the paper's website -- the main interface is an extremely faithful rendition of the physical paper, and you can easily pop into several different iPad-specific layouts that are slightly easier to read. There's no full-screen photo viewer, nor are there any videos, but actually just getting around the paper is simple, intuitive, and attractive. Unfortunately, you have to download each day's content in full before you can browse it, a process which requires time and storage space -- and older editions cost either €.79 each or come along with the €15/mo subscription. It's not a bad riff on "freemium" if you read the paper every day, though -- especially since the app is so much better than the website. Take note, Rupert -- the WSJ just got totally shown up by the French
. [
See in iTunes]
Time ($4.99 per issue) - Oh, Time. This is another premier launch app, and it's equally baffling as to why -- especially since all this content -- and more! -- is available for free on the web, and a 56-issue paper subscription runs around $20. That means the presentation alone has to justify the insane $4.99 per issue, and while we won't deny the presentation is gorgeous, it's simply not functional or polished enough to make the case. You can't zoom in on photos, for example. When it downloads an issue the app is named "April 12, 2010" (or whatever) on the homescreen instead of "Time" -- and each issue requires a separate icon. Launching the app in portrait mode results in layout weirdness until you rotate it to landscape and back again to trigger the correct portrait layout. It's easy to accidentally swipe horizontally to the next article instead vertically for the next page -- and when you swipe back you've lost your place. There's no search. The portrait and landscape modes have different layouts, so there are
super embarrassing typos in some views that don't share the same typesetting. All in all, it feels like the developers and designers at Time have managed to build themselves a very nice demo of what a Time app could be
like -- it's going to take some serious polish and rethinking of pricing to make it into what a Time app should actually
be. [
See in iTunes]
Popular Science (free app, $4.99 per issue) - If Time is a very nice tech demo of a magazine app, than Popular Science is a drug-addled science fiction nightmare. As with Time, most of PopSci's content is available for free on the web, so the cost of each iPad issue has to be justified by presentation -- a challenge this app simply fails to meet. As with the WSJ app, the primary problem here is a totally unique set of navigation gestures that are unintuitive and oftentimes lead to strange results. Yes, primary navigation is done with swipes -- vertical for the next page, horizontal for the next article -- but after that it's some really weird stuff, like a two-finger "push" that only works in the lower middle of the display to bring up the contents and issue browser. Tapping on the left side of the display makes all the text invisible so you can see the images more clearly, but it doesn't actually make the images bigger -- and if there's no image on the page it just results in a blank white screen. The table of contents page in the magazine isn't clickable, so you can't navigate with it -- and if you try to tap on it, there's a good chance you'll hit the left side of the display and it'll disappear entirely. There's no pinch-to-zoom on the photos, and no search of the text. If you're wondering why anyone would pay $5 per issue for this experience when a full year's paper subscription costs $14 and all the content is easily accessible for free in Safari, well -- so are we. [
See in iTunes]
Zinio's an old standby in the digital magazine game, and it feels like the iPad is exactly the device the service has been waiting for. Zinio provides faithful digital versions of print magazines, with an added overlay of interactivity -- it's basically a PDF you can click. That means single page layouts look amazing on the iPad's screen, and two-pages layouts look even better turned horizontally, since there's no page fold. There are tons of titles, from Spin to OK! to Cycling, and pricing is basically the same as single issues off the newsstand or year-long subscriptions -- and subscriptions to arrive in the background. Sounds perfect, right? It would be, except actually browsing a magazine is frustratingly slow -- every page turn requires loading time, opening magazine issues requires more, and switching from portrait to landscape is a harrowing experience of flickering imagery and mutilated layouts. Don't get us wrong -- there's a lot of promise here, and it's worth downloading the free app and checking out some of the free content -- but without a significant performance boost the Zinio app simply can't compete with the dedicated magazine apps. [
See in iTunes]
NPR (free) - Considering how well done the NPR web site and iPhone app are, it's no surprise that the iPad app is also a pleasure to use, and here we are with smiles on our faces. Obviously the big feature here is streaming audio in addition to the articles, and it works like a charm, with easy-to-use playlist features and controls. Unfortunately, hitting play on an audio stream for the first time brings up a large advertising overlay, which slides over whatever you're looking at -- but if that's what it takes for free content, well, we can't complain too much. There's also some rudimentary Twitter and Facebook integration in addition to the share-by-email function, which is pretty fun. We just wish we could keep the app running in the background to keep listening while we do other things -- let's hope
iPhone OS 4.0 helps a very good NPR app experience become a great NPR app experience. [
See in iTunes]
posted April 5th 2010 4:30PM
It seems you can buy an app that will make the screen on your ipad work. Wow, a screen that has color and works. Innovative. Maybe they could sell an app that would make the ipad a totally different device and actually usable.
Dear Engadget can you please stop this ipad PR finally? Am tired... honestly I tried your exclude links and unfortunately there are zero posts now... Is there any life after ipad?
for the current price, they could of at least had a fully functional mac os x and processor?
I'm glad we are getting so much coverage about small, unknown players like Apple, to level the field against such monsters as JooJoo, Notion Ink, etc. Thanks guys.
The only reason I can think of getting a "News Reader" app instead of just going to the "News" website, is for offline reading.
If you travel a lot, it would be nice to launch an app while you're at the airport, have it sync with the latest news and then, tada, you can read the news on the plane w/o having to pay for Wifi (assuming Wifi is even an option on the plane you're on). Of course, if Safari let's you cache sites to read later then never mind (sorry, not a Safari user so I don't know).
What??? So I guess all the news readers for windows or mac os are moronic. No most people use news readers to quickly scan through news to see what is worth reading. That's way news readers are very popular on all platforms, not just mobile ones.
@Peteo Sorry, I should have been more clear, I was specifically speaking about the iPad. I use a news reader at work as well and can totally appreciate its value on my work computer. But on the iPad, it just doesn't seem to make sense to me why you wouldn't just bookmark the website (specially when the reviews themselves say that some of the websites are better layed out / contain more information than the apps).
The iPad sounds like a great travel companion and that's how I'd see myself using it. Mostly go to the site, but if I'm in the air, I'd want an offline reader (that's where the app would come in).
@Peteo Sorry forgot to add, that also, these news readers appear to be like the full blown sites....not news aggregators like what I would think of when you say "news reader"....they aren't RSS widgets. So your scroll through and find only those things that interest you doesn't apply with these. Again, might as well go to the website if it's better layed out anyway.
shishi i couldn't agree more why talk about joojoo if there is such innovation like iPad that anything else comes even close... apple deserves every bit of coverage it can... so glad to see neutral unbiased press like Engadget...
Engadget you forgot the NPR app. Its nice and has all the news articles you need plus audio and its free of charge and subscription charges too!
No one should feel sorry for a iPad user who is so free with their money to pay money for apps that display content that is free through a web browser. It isn't as if you can multi-task if you use these asps.. It's just silly and the only thing I can say is good luck when the prices and subscriptions get worse in the future.
I don't know if it's Irony or just dumb, but all of these Apps require an Internet Connection to run, so the only place I could see them is while I'm home, since I'm never in a place with WiFi access. I'm definitely returning my iPad next week and wait for the 3G version - if I decide to get it again at all.
Hmm the app offerings on the iPad are actually quite disappointing so far. Maybe I should hold off buying one (well, when they actually get Down Here)
you know i have nothing wrong with apple news but engadget should group all the ipad app reviews into one review, im kind of tired of seeing a new review of an app when i come on here AND DONT GIVE ME THE LINK TO APPLE FREE ENGADGET, because I would like to hear apples new products but not every single app the ipad has...
The other magazines that inspired me was Men's Health (looks like the print product but has tons of ways to interact with the content) and GQ (great way to read long-form stories, short on interactivity).
You are dead on about Popular Science. I was expecting WIRED-like but found myself stuck in a circus of flips, swipes and taps.
Zinio on iPad seems much better than these magazines. I actually like USA today better than wsj.
I kind of amazed that Engadget isnt reporting about all the Wifi problems people are having with their devices. I took mine back today to the Apple Soho store in NYC and they exchanged it for me.
Keep in mind that the NY Times Reader available to subscribers and running on Adobe AIR has successful. If they make this into an iPad app then we have an excellent presentation of the NY Times. (for a sub price of course...)
the companies trying to screw people into paying subscription fees for magazines on the iPad are going to end up losing both the limited viewers they have and the ad revenue they currently grab from them. Big mistake. The smarter thing to do would be to offer up free content and expect us to sit through 30 seconds of ads every day in exchange for that content, and perhaps enhance your product line with a premium app for those who wish for an ad-free experience and are willing to pay the subscription fee for it. Otherwise we will just view the same information elsewhere. Worse comes to worse, we'll stream it to our iPads from our home windows or mac machines for free, if not through another news provider. We are loyal customers too, once we have a few news apps we are happy with, you can kiss your chances of ever getting us back goodbye. You have a limited time to fix your business model. tick tock.
@Griffin I agree with you. Prices have to be revised. $4.99 for ONE edition is way too expensive. I say offer a subscription for about the same price as print or cheaper, while maintaining great quality and readers will flock to the magazine.
Bottom line: They need to stop focusing just on $$$$$$ and start offering some reasonable prices and quality.
Sounds like the iPad is still in BETA and everyone who purchased it are the unsuspecting beta testers... sad sad sad :(
I'd buy that for a dollar!
Non of the developers had iPads to test their apps out, on the simulator, plus the final sdk was just released a few days before the iPad came out. So yes apps will be buggy but I'm sure updates will come out fast
@Peteo
Yeah it'll be interesting to see what OS 4.0 produces...
All your iPad belong to us
Can you review the mens health iPad app, it looks awesome
They should have a magazine about the iPad
After reading the reviews of the different magazines, I must say I'm deeply disappointed at the first "efforts". It would make much more sense for consumers to purchase magazines and newspapers on the iBookstore but it wouldn't make sense for businesses.
One other thing: I think magazines should try to keep the digital versions as close as possible in look and feel to the print editions, enhancing them in certain areas (videos, pics, interactivity and such). Magazines who stray from the original look and feel of the print edition are far from seeing any profits.
Magazines and newspapers just have to be equal or better than the print editions and MUCH better than the online editions.
Maybe in a few months someone will get it and the rest of the magazines/newspapers will follow.
really I don't understand them .. It has been for long time that the digital subscription is cheaper than printed one..!!!!
I think the fair subscription price is 14.99$ /year
It's just a matter of time and then will drop to that price..!!
In defence of the BBC app...
You can click the news feed text to open the news feed article.
Also you can read the article in full screen by rotating the device.
Two words:
Bit torrent and DDL. Okay, 3 words. And, oh yeah...netbook. Four words.
WTF would I pay for a magazine or newspaper issue that I can just pop open a browser and get for free!?
These companies are either trying to make a quick buck on unsuspecting iPad users or are totally delirious over the iPad's market control they think they can charge whatever and people will pay it.
Some of these bugs are reprehensible, I mean $5 an issue that litters your iPad screen with icons....omg wtf! The typos and crappy layout's cmon!
I think a lot of these companies should have WAITED for and actual iPad to test before bringing their Crap App to market.
The media industry is drooling over the iPad though it remains to be seen if their readers will too (and if they'll do it for the right prices). Here is Engadget's selection of News Apps as an App Mix (http://bit.ly/engadget-news-apps), courtesy of AppsFire (http://appsfire.com/widgetmaker.php).
Jonathan
AppsFire.com
Love the new ebook apps for iPad!
If you're interested in unlimited, lifetime ebook downloads for your iPad, please check out my site: http://ipaddownloadsrebates.weebly.com