Thursday, July 16, 2009
Magazines Can Succeed on the iPhone
The recent Forbes.com article Magazines Struggle on the iPhone misses the point by focusing on iPhone developers who don't really understand magazines.The article is from the iPhone developer point of view, stating "...publishers also expressed interest in iPhone apps but wanted to pay the firm through revenue-share deals, meaning it would have to shoulder more of its development costs upfront." Translation: publishers don't feel like paying $50K for an iPhone app with an iffy upside.
It's still early days. The iPhone user wants a great reading experience: an application that blends branded content plus 'real time' information and a way to engage with other readers and the publication.
The challenge is that many iPhone developers don't yet understand the unique value of a magazine (i.e., the high quality layout and branded feel), and at the same time the magazine needs to significantly add value to what exists on the print page.
Texterity, working with our publishers, is developing a true next generation mobile application that leverages the branded content and the capabilities of the devices. This includes iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre, and what we expect to come soon -- a "super smartphone" device with a larger display.
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