My first impression of Rupert Murdoch’s The Daily is: What a mess.
You were right that the new app addresses the four problems facing print and online news today. The problem is, it doesn’t address them very well.
The main screen is not very attractive, the animations aren’t smooth and it doesn’t respond to swipes in that snappy way we’ve come to expect from our iPads. Navigation is a confused mess — I’m never sure if I’m moving within a story, between stories, or even between sections. And it’s unclear if what I’m about to tap on is text or video — do I need to unmute the device, am I about to be embarrassed in public by whatever words are about to be spoken?
Worst of all: It’s difficult to tell, before tapping, the difference between ads and news content.
There’s still a killer, money-making news application for our mobile devices — but Rev 1. of The Daily ain’t it.
UPDATE: The Boss seems less disappointed with it than I am, but not by much.
OH AND: Charlie doesn’t hate the interface like I do. Maybe I was too harsh?
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