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Luminary's podcast service loses more high-profile shows
PodcastOne, The Joe Rogan Experience, Barstool Sports and other major podcasters have pulled their shows from Luminary, the startup network that launched with fanfare and $100 million in funding. The main problem seems to be that the network used a proxy for the podcast streams rather than serving up the originals, depriving the creators of valuable listener statistics. "If I go in and click play on a show on Luminary, we as a platform do not get real data back," Simplecast CEO Brad Smith told The Verge.
The New York Times expands its briefing series on Alexa
The New York Times is expanding its slate of audio programming to Alexa, with dedicated daily news briefings, quizzes and arts and travel coverage. On weekdays, the paper will offer a news briefing hosted by The Daily's Michael Barbaro. Once you've activated the skill by saying "Alexa, enable The New York Times Briefing," you can hear a rundown of the day's top stories by requesting your flash briefing or asking "what's in the news?" Alternatively, you can ask the voice assistant to play the latest installment of The Daily.
Yo and the app hype machine
Yo is a notifications app where all it does is send the word "Yo" to your friends. That's it. Just "Yo." Of course, silly single-purpose apps like these are a dime a dozen -- remember those fart apps of old? -- but the thing that sets Yo apart is that it's actually attracted a whole lot of attention. More than a million dollars' worth, in fact. Yep, this seemingly frivolous app has recently raised around $1.5 million in funding, giving it a valuation close to $10 million. It's also apparently been downloaded more than 2 million times since its tongue-in-cheek April Fools' Day debut. Crazy? Well, yes, perhaps. But it's not entirely unusual. In case you need a refresher (and probably a laugh or two), here's a look at some of the more overhyped apps in the past few years. Have any other ideas? Leave a comment and let us know of any apps we've missed.
The Daily staff offers a musical goodbye
Goodbye to The Daily, the ill-fated iPad news magazine that was launched with great fanfare in 2011 and will shut down tomorrow. Some of The Daily's staff will migrate to The New York Post. Most will be let go. The Daily staff produced a farewell video to say goodbye to their readers (featuring plenty of Macs). Although I didn't find the content of The Daily very compelling, it's going to be a tough holiday for the staff who were let go. Hope they will find something quickly and put their talents to good use. The Daily app is already out of the App Store.
Daily Update for December 3, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
News Corp. to shut down iPad-based newspaper, The Daily
News Corp.'s experiment with the newspaper of the future is coming to an end. In a press release covering a wide range of corporate restructuring initiatives, the media conglomerate announced that it is closing The Daily, the tablet-only newspaper that launched with much fanfare in early 2011. Though a "bold experiment in digital publishing," the venture was not "sustainable in the long-term," explains News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch in the press release. Publication of The Daily will halt on December 15. Remaining assets and some staff of the iPad-based magazine will be folded in to the New York Post. The digital newspaper had approximately 120 employees after laying off staff earlier this year. [Via AllThingsD]
News Corporation shutters The Daily tablet newspaper as of December 15th
News Corporation's The Daily was to have been a vanguard of the future, based on the past -- a tablet-focused newspaper that could get us back to paying subscriptions for our regular news fix. Not enough of us were as enthralled with the retro-future concept, however. While CEO Rupert Murdoch calls The Daily a "bold experiment," he's shutting the publication down as of December 15th following sluggish growth that didn't match long-term expectations. The move may pay off for other divisions. As part of a larger spinoff of its publishing wing headed by Robert Thomson, News Corp is moving the all-digital outlet's resources and some of its staff (including Editor-in-Chief Jesse Angelo) into the considerably more paper-bound New York Post. In some senses, it wasn't hard to see a shutdown as a possibility. While Murdoch is more than a little fond of paywalls as an alternative to free, ad-based viewing, The Daily was counting on building a paid readership completely from scratch in a web-based era -- it's hard to compete with free.
The Daily to cut 50 staff members, switches to vertical-only layout
All Things Digital's Peter Kafka is reporting that The Daily expects to tell 50 of its 170 employees that they're being laid off. Of those positions, 29 were full-time staff members. The Daily's Editor-in-Chief Jesse Angelo said sports coverage will be handled by content partners, such as Fox Sports, and the standalone opinion section will be eliminated. The Daily launched with a great deal of fanfare 18 months ago originally on the iPad. It quickly added other editions as well, but never got subscriptions much beyond 120,000. It had dropped below 100,000 subscriptions by its first anniversary in February. Earlier this month we reported comments from Angelo suggesting to staff that they ignore "the haters" and pay no attention to rumors about troubles at the digital publication. All Things Digital reports The Daily will continue to try and save money by going to a portrait-only layout, instead of the current version that can also be read in a landscape orientation. It plans to keep releasing its new weekend edition. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Is The Daily on thin ice?
The Daily, the heavily-promoted news publication for mobile devices, may be on life support, according to a report in today's New York Observer. I took a look at The Daily a few months after launch and found it pleasing to look at but not something I would spend money on. There are solid free news offerings from places like Slate, and aggregators like Flipboard and Zite which have a lot more content and can learn my interests over time. The Daily launched in early 2011 as an iPad-only publication, later adding an iPhone edition and one for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. A large staff was brought in to do original reporting, but there are persistent reports that the enterprise is losing about $30 million per year. In February we learned that The Daily had 100,000 paid subscribers. The Observer reports today, based on internal sources, that The Daily has been put 'on watch', and whether it survives will be determined after the November elections. Reviews in the app store are pretty lukewarm, with a lot of complaints about the number of ads in a publication that people have to pay for. Subscriptions are $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. There is a free version of the app with a selection of a few stories from the full edition. The Daily was a bold experiment, but it may not be a compelling enough offering to sustain itself. Update: The Editor of The Daily, Jesse Angelo, in a carefully worded denial, responded to the stories about the online newspapers reported problems. You can read his response here.
Microsoft Office for iPad reportedly on track for November release
A recent report from BGR reiterates the earlier claim from The Daily that Microsoft is working on a version of Office for the iPad. According to BGR, Microsoft is bringing the complete Office suite to both the iPad and Android tablets by November of this year. BGR's source claims the version he saw was almost identical to the one leaked earlier this year by The Daily. The Daily got wind of the BGR report and responded with a post directed at Microsoft that was sharp and forthright. The authors called Microsoft "filthy, lying liars" for allegedly showing The Daily a version of the Office software for the iPad and then saying publicly it was "not a real picture of a real Microsoft software product." You can read The Daily's response on its website.
The Daily hints at iPhone version
Speaking to Venture Beat, Greg Clayman, the publisher of the iPad-only newspaper The Daily, hinted at a forthcoming version of its newspaper app for the iPhone. Clayman said a scaled-down Daily might just look like its recently released standalone guide to Angry Birds Space. The Daily's team has created five custom apps for clients so far, and the Android version of the ABS guide just arrived. If [the phone version of The Daily] resembled the guide we built for Angry Birds, I wouldn't be surprised. You can check out The Daily's guide to Angry Birds Space to get a sneak peek.
Microsoft Office for iOS gets blurrycam treatment in weird party-room
What you see before you is a single image purporting to be Microsoft's new Office app for iOS. We can certainly believe such an app exists, and according to The Daily, the UI is similar to OneNote with an added dash of Metro. You'll be able to produce and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files locally and online, but the app is still to run the Cupertino's approval gauntlet. The report also claims an Android version is isn't in the works and but that a Metro-styled refresh of OneNote is due in "the coming weeks." That said, we're not sure what sort of place doesn't take the plastic off its carpets, leaves big "product of Spain" crates lying around with leopard-print plushies and USS Enterprise logos hanging on the wall -- but perhaps we've underestimated Redmond's capacity for a good party. Update: We incorrectly reported that an Android version was forthcoming, we've edited to correct our mistake -- please accept our sincere apologies.
Office for iPad reportedly due in weeks (Update)
The Daily has gotten its hands on the upcoming iPad version of Microsoft Office, which its sources tell them will soon go through the Apple App Store vetting process. The interface is reportedly similar to OneNote, which we reviewed in December, and also contains technology that's in the Windows Phone and the upcoming Windows 8. Like similar office suites from Quickoffice and Documents to Go, users can create Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and edit them either on the iPad or online. The Daily's sources did not have a launch date or estimated price, but it'll most likely be available within the next few weeks. [Via The Next Web] Update: Quite the soap opera drama is unfolding. Microsoft denied that Office for iPad is coming in a statement given to The New York Times, stating that The Daily published "a screenshot that is not Microsoft's software" as well as a story which is "based on inaccurate rumors and speculation." Daily reporter Peter Ha then shot back that the image was not fake, and in fact came from a demonstration given by a Microsoft employee. He then supplied a screenshot of the app's icon running on an iPad.
Daily Update for February 3, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
The Daily celebrates a year with 100,000 paid subscribers on iPad
One of the iPad's first regular periodical publications (if not the first one) The Daily launched a year ago. It's been a fairly rocky year. Originally, the Rupert Murdoch-funded app hoped it could get at least half a million subscriptions to keep its publication going; a few months ago we heard that there were 120,000 daily readers, and now Mashable says the paper boasts 100,000 paid subscribers. Despite not nearly reaching its original goal, The Daily still seems to be rolling on. Publisher Greg Clayman says that when the app originally launched, the goal was to make an experience unique to the tablet. That's why The Daily began only on the iPad and has only recently added content on the Android platform, via the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Clayman says that while the company has kept its choice of platforms slim, The Daily has been delivering on its promise to break news; it was the first to report on the story of Paula Deen having diabetes and Alec Baldwin wanting to run for mayor in New York. Clayman says that The Daily is still headed for profitability "over the next couple of years," which he says is actually better than most traditional publications. The Daily might not have the readership that it hoped to have, but a year into its existence Clayman seems optimistic about the publication's future. "We now have a fully baked, fully functional app CMS, and a large, engaged readership," he says. "A year ago we were asking how to build the boat. Now it's about understanding the best way to steer the boat."
Verizon brings The Daily, Slacker Radio apps to Android tablets
Verizon has just announced a slate of new partnerships at CES today, bringing The Daily, Slacker Radio and a host of other apps to select Android tablets. With today's announcement, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners will be able to access Rupert Murdoch's tablet-optimized news app, with either a $4 monthly subscription, or $40 annual plan. The Galaxy Tab 7.7, meanwhile, will receive the app at a later date. The carrier is also bringing Slacker Radio to a wider range of Android slates, and has launched apps like TouchyBooks and Trend Micro Mobile Security Personal Edition, as well. For the full run-down, head past the break.
Daily Update for September 29, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
The Daily averaging just 120,000 readers per week
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch introduced the iPad newspaper The Daily (free) almost eight months ago with expectations that the paper would easily meet the half-million subscribers required for the publication to break even. Now Bloomberg is reporting that The Daily is well behind that goal, with an estimated weekly circulation of only 120,000 readers. The Bloomberg post cites advertising exec John Nitti of Publicis Groupe SA as saying that the 120,000 reader figure is for unique weekly visitors, which also includes readers who are taking advantage of the paper's two-week free trial. As a result, the actual number of paying subscribers is less than the total readership figure. After the free trial, The Daily is available for US$0.99 per week or $39.99 a year. Nitti thinks that 120,000 readers is still a respectable number for The Daily, and expects that his client (Verizon) will continue to advertise on the paper. Bloomberg notes that The Daily is expanding beyond the iPad, adding a Facebook version this month and an Android edition within the next three weeks.
The Daily gets 800K downloads but loses $10 million this quarter
The latest quarterly results from News Corporation say The Daily, the much-publicized iPad newspaper, has lost US$10 million. Much of the loss is associated start-up costs. News Corp. reports The Daily costs about $500,000 a week to produce, and revenues depend on advertising and subscriptions. The company has not revealed how many of the people who downloaded the free introductory subscriptions have converted to the pay model. When The Daily came out, I thought the $39.99 annual subscription cost was reasonable, but the content mix turned me off. I'm not sure if the magazine has the proper flavor of news that would appeal to iPad owners. The Daily looks great and works very well on the iPad, but without compelling content, I'll never be a customer. Several other magazines have experimented with the iPad, often focusing on cost. Most recently, Time Magazine has offered free iPad issues to customers with paid subscriptions. Many publications are too expensive on the iPad, and cost more than the paper equivalents. Other solutions, like Zinio Newsstand, have a nice mix of magazines at reasonable prices, but basically you get a PDF of the magazine, which is a pain to read because you are constantly re-orienting the page to get the best fit. The Zinio app also offers a text mode, but then the layout and illustrations vanish. What are your thoughts? Have you been willing to pay for magazines on the iPad? If not, what would it take to get you to open your wallet?
The Daily generated 800,000 downloads, $10 million loss in first quarter of operation
It's still too early to pass judgment on News Corp's daring venture into tablet-only newspapers, The Daily, but at least we now have an idea of how much it costs to get a project like this off the ground. Having spent $30 million developing the concept before launch, the company's latest quarterly reports indicate another $10 million loss was incurred on the early operations of The Daily. That's resulted in 800,000 total downloads of the iPad-only app, though a breakdown of how many of those were just trying out the free trial and how many have stuck around for the paid version hasn't been forthcoming. News Corp stresses that The Daily is still a work in progress, one that we've heard may also be making its way onto Android tablets, and looks very much committed to seeing its plan through to the end. So if this digital-only, subscription-paid news idea fails, it won't be for lack of trying.
