A surprise snow day thanks to snowpocalypse afforded me the opportunity to download and test Rupert Murdoch's new app, The Daily. The first iPad only news content app of it's kind. While Murdoch thinks the demise of print news is a long way off, he has invested millions in developing The Daily.
And here are the seven reasons I hate The Daily for iPad.
1. Version issues - Almost as quickly as it was available a new version was available. While updates are expected frequently with an app of this importance, rarely do we iPad users have to physically delete and reinstall an app for it to work.
2. Crashes - I thought for sure the delete and reinstall would clear up the crashes...it didn't.
3. Screen lock - Headlines are generally large and are included on a full screen sized image. Rotating the iPad to portrait mode will allow the reader to access the story. However, if you keep the rotation lock on like I do, you can't ever get to the story.
4. Load times - This is somewhat dependent on your internet quality but if I can stream HD movies, I don't understand why I can't have a seamless transition between articles on a news app
5. Lack of Intuitiveness - Sure the app has articles on instruction but this is an iPad, we should never need instructions on something that is supposed to be our companion news app.
6. Advertisements - This isn't a magazine, why are we dealing with so many advertisements. This brings me to my last reason to hate The Daily for iPad.
7. Price - Murdoch is betting that 99 cents a week sounds insignificant and it does, but no body wants to be in a long term commitment to a new app for a 30 dollar price tag and 99 cents per week adds up.
I'm not giving up on it, and there is certainly some good to go with the bad but so far The Daily fails to deliver.
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