Exclusive: The Age’s iPad app revealed
Mumbrella can exclusively reveal the first screen shots of The Age’s iPad app, after a prototype of the Fairfax Media newspaper’s application briefly appeared on the iTunes store on Saturday night. And the app will even read the stories out for those who find looking at text too much of a chore.
Designer David Curry was able to download the app for $7 a month – slightly more expensive than rival The Australian’s $4.99 app which made its debut on Friday to coincide with the Australian launch of the iPad.
Fairfax revealed last week that it was creating iPad apps for both The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. But it did not announce its pricing or when the products would be available.
Last night’s brief appearance suggests the launch may be closer than many had anticipated.
Curry, a producer at production house The Money Shot, told Mumbrella that he stumbled upon the app while browsing the iTunes store with his new iPad.
He said: “It was only available for a few hours last night – I’m guessing for Fairfax executives who just got iPads to download and test.”
And Curry gave the app a positive review. He said: “As a newspaper application it looks very good. The entire paper gets delivered to your iPad at about 5am each day. The pages look exactly the same as the printed version. So you get a real sense of the big news of the day versus the other stories.”
He added: “You can pinch-zoom to make things bigger – but the clever feature is when you touch on any headline a new box opens up with the story represented in a large newspaper column style format.”
Other features include a headphone icon, which triggers a computer voice to read the article aloud.
Curry said: “I used it in a cafe this morning and it was a satisfying experience – actually better than having to juggle the paper and my plates. The only problem was all the onlookers.”
Users also have the option of either downloading a single edition at a time or subscribing for automatic download as soon as each new edition becomes available.
One point of difference with The Australia’s app, is that Fairfax appears to be planning to make more specialist content immedaiately available as an additional option. As well as the likes of property supplement Domain, popular inserted magazines such as Sunday Life and Good Weekend appear to be included in the app too.
But Curry told Mumbrella: “It seems you can choose individual sections such as the Green Guide, Epicure, Domain etc to be downloaded or not – so there’s no need to burn bandwidth downloading Domain if you’re not in the property market.”
Saw it and downloaded it … When I initially opened it it went straight through to a subscription site so closed it and deleted.
I downloaded the app as well and thought it was terrible. If this is what Fairfax had installed, they’re boned.
Horrible UI, complex subscription process, poor performance. The only redeeming feature is the fact that you get the entire newspaper. That I really like. The app itself however, is pathetic.
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Not sure what all the fuss is about . The AGE and newspapers from all over the world are available via PressReader iPad Application. Works identically as described above
Great application . I stumbled on it and now get all my newspapers delivered overnight
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This is an amazingly soft piece compared to the reports over at http://mactalk.com.au/ – where they are calling it the worst app and a complete disgrace.
As for the excuse that it is a protype made for testing – I doubt even the Tin Pot Times would put their brand at risk like that.
Can’t wait for someone to get the inside story on how Fairfax missed the boat.
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On paper or pixels, what does it matter? As a source of news and opinion, The Age has been circling the drain for the best part of the past decade.
Gee whiz! Crap wrapped in Steve Jobs’ sexy new packaging.
But The Age is still crap all the same.
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Seriously, does this warrant “Exclusive!!”…???
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Like Shep, i downloaded eagerly, hit the subscription page, jumped out and deleted. Really hope they get it right when it goes back up.
On a side note, my understanding was that apple took a cut from all aps sales & subscriptions – and that all transactions had to go through iTunes. How are Fairfax able to circumvent this?
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“This is an amazingly soft piece compared to the reports over at http://mactalk.com.au/ – where they are calling it the worst app and a complete disgrace.”
That may be so, but buggered if I could find where. That site’s a mess itself.
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Here you go Bill: http://forums.mactalk.com.au/5.....-crap.html
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Ispank is not gonna get my hard earned. Somebody had better tell’em their dreamin’.
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How certain are we that this is actually the Fairfax app? I’m sure that what you are looking at is the Press Reader app mentioned above, from the screenshots down to the “computer voice” reader and even the pricing. No idea where the original Age icon fits in to this but I’m convinced this is not the official app. Good one Mumbrella, a teensie bit of research may have been an idea
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