Early adopter moi downloaded the app for The Daily – the new Murdoch/Steve Jobs enterprise aimed at revolutionizing news on the iPad – and I have been looking at it for all of ten minutes. Snap verdict: B. Nice layout with good photos and integration of video. But the reporting itself is fairly routine and rather like Time Magazine circa 1970. In other words: spritely but very conventional. On the subject du jour – Egypt – I learned nothing I hadn’t seen elsewhere. The Daily will have to move fast to keep up with breaking events. Will they concentrate on looking pretty or will they have something to say? So far it’s the former.
You get a free two week subscription with the app. I’ll be keeping my eye on it and report back.
MORE: Using his own empire as an analogy, Murdoch seems to be going more NY Post than WSJ here, but unfortunately without the Post’s trashy flash that makes us love it so much. So far, so bland, alas. But it’s a work in progress. (Aren’t we all?)
One problem is that The Daily may be trying to be all things to all people. The WSJ tilts right (at least on its editorial page). The NYT tilts left (all over). Is there room for something in the middle – or does that ultimately mean DULL? On the plus side, the interface improves with handling. It didn’t take me long to be skillful with it and I’m no nerd (except socially).
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