Apple reportedly launching subscription news service

[xriqn]

Well it's official. Apple just got even worse as a company, though I guess that's unsurprising, who'd imagine Apple being a great company for the end user? According to TheVerge, Apple are apparently launching a subscription news service. Here's what they had to say:

Quote

Apple acquired the “Netflix of magazines” last month, and it’s now planning to create its own premium news service. Bloomberg reports that Apple’s Texture acquisition will see the service, which offers more than 200 magazines for $9.99 a month, combined into Apple’s News team. A new Apple News app will reportedly launch within the next year, and offer a subscription with a percentage of revenue shared to publishers.

Apple has tried a similar approach before. Apple killed its Newsstand app in favor of Apple News, and the original app used to offer digital versions of newspapers and magazines. Apple also previously partnered with News Corporation to create The Daily, an iPad-only news publication. News Corp eventually shuttered The Daily after nearly two years, blaming a lack of audience to create a sustainable business model.

Apple’s latest attempt appears to be targeting a subscription offering for multiple magazines, much like the company’s Music streaming service. The effort will rely on an appetite for paying for quality news sources, something that publishers have been trying with their own “pay wall” options.

Now if you ask me, news on the internet SHOULD NOT be paid for. The internet was created for one to learn, a free archive of information, communication and fun, right? (after you pay your broadband bill of course). Apple (and other companies) clearly think otherwise. They pretty much slam paywalls up on their news so you can only read good news if you pay for it. Ridiculous. We already paid to access the internet to get this information, why should we pay a privatised company more to access the information? Apple are literally scraping for money right now (they always have been even though they have plenty of the green stuff). Other companies have tried this paywall method on news but have failed. The subscription service that Apple is providing here is just a glorified version of that. So, here we go. Long live Apple's news subscription service. (sarcasm intended). Do tell me what you think about this, I'd love to hear it.

 

Source: The Verge, https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/17/17246332/apple-news-subscription-service-rumors

[Himommies]

This for magazines.Not News,some magazines can deliver news,but I feel most people would agree with me that paying for a magazine is perfectly fine

[JediFragger]

If this is just for the mags then I'm fine with it, seems a decent enough deal considering the price of magazines now.

[Sauron]

On 17/4/2018 at 11:17 PM, xriqn said:

Now if you ask me, news on the internet SHOULD NOT be paid for. The internet was created for one to learn, a free archive of information, communication and fun, right? (after you pay your broadband bill of course).

So... who pays the reporters? They aren't employed by your service provider, so the money has to come from somewhere. It can be from ads or it can be from a paywall, that's up to the outlet. You can't read a physical newspaper without buying it (or borrowing it from someone who bought it), why should this be different? Personally I'd prefer having the information in an archivable format, but..

[captain_to_fire]

On 4/18/2018 at 5:17 AM, xriqn said:

Now if you ask me, news on the internet SHOULD NOT be paid for. The internet was created for one to learn, a free archive of information, communication and fun, right?

Now, how will news agencies pay their employees and keep the lights on? You can say adding ads but those harbor malware and phishing. I'm sure there are people who would want a distraction free way to get their news stories.

On 4/18/2018 at 5:17 AM, xriqn said:

Apple are literally scraping for money right now (they always have been even though they have plenty of the green stuff).

As if no one does it. Always remember that businesses are built to make profit, not for charity.

On 4/18/2018 at 5:17 AM, xriqn said:

The subscription service that Apple is providing here is just a glorified version of that.

Just so you know, Apple have done this in the past with Newsstand. 

On 4/18/2018 at 5:17 AM, xriqn said:

Other companies have tried this paywall method on news but have failed.

I'm pretty sure The New York Times, et.al have a lot of paying readers. 

[DrMacintosh]

On 4/17/2018 at 2:17 PM, xriqn said:

Now if you ask me, news on the internet SHOULD NOT be paid for.

It’s not. This is for publishing of magazines.

 

magazines \= news

 

On 4/17/2018 at 2:17 PM, xriqn said:

why should we pay a privatised company more to access the information?

Are you debating the free markets ability to charge for information? Netflix costs money, many adult sites cost money, and many existing sites dealing in everything imaginable already cost money. Don’t act like the Internet is a haeven where everything is free. 

 

(Oh and btw people already do pay for the news, it’s called a newspaper and those are generally not free if you want them from a respectable publication)