Can you want something that you don’t want?
Here is my dilemma, I’ve trialled Apple News+, and although the concept is great! I.e. access to hundreds of magazines and newspapers all in one place, but who really has the time to consume all of this content?
The value proposition is there, $14.99 per month to have access to all of these magazines from the US, Canada, UK and Australia- titles which could easily cost upwards of $7.95 each! But you have access to all of them, in the palm of your hand, in an environmentally friendly package!
But have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content that you have? I suspect you’ve felt this way if you subscribe to too many podcasts. You know that feeling of anxiety, when you see the list of unlistened content piling up. And now I’m having the same issue with Apple News+, and it hasn’t even been a month yet!
The first thing after securing News+, was that I went into the list of all the magazine titles, and subscribed to everything which caught my interest (from cooking to cars). But less than a month on, I already have this month’s unread title sitting there (July), and now August’s issue has also made its way onto my unread list. Now I have double the amount of content to work through, we’re talking about upwards of 15 titles. Yikes!
I attempted to read one magazine cover to cover…… still haven’t quite got there yet. And meanwhile I’ve lost my spot. Boo! But here are the 4 reasons why I’m going to maintain News+ beyond the trial period.
Share-ability
I’ve already mentioned how it’s value+ even for just one user, but with family sharing and the ability to share with up to 6 people in your family! That’s value++. If you divided that cost up, that’s $3 per person per month!
Accessibility
Yes, it’s super easy to access, as titles automatically download to your device each month after you’ve subscribed to it. But it’s also blind accessible! Previously there were no means for me to get my hands on periodic print material like magazines, but because my phone talks, and the format of the magazines are in accessible text so my phone reads out the articles to me! All of a sudden, a whole new world is opened up to me! That in itself is priceless! Hey?
One day, one of these days I’m……
Yeah, one of these days I’m going to find myself lost for something to do, perhaps in-between audio books? Perhaps with a spare 20 minutes to burn? And what better, than to read a short article to pass the time? One of these days, it’s going to happen!
It’s just such a darn good product
I’m not exaggerating here, but it really is a great product! Depending on the magazine title, but it may be a proper digital magazine which is interactive (opposed to just a PDF file); the magazine articles are presented as an individual block, thus you can sit back and allow your screen reader to read the article from start to finish, without the need to turn each page, while the reader doesn’t just read and read either, blending together two articles which could be confusing and annoying; all of the print content is in there, including adverts and images so it’s just as good as the real thing; you can share an article with friends (haven’t tried, but the option is there); and to date I haven’t mentioned much about the available newspapers, or the fact that you’ll no longer hit pay-walls on normal Apple News! There’s really so much value for $14.99 per month.
Although I’m going to keep it, however is anyone using it? The main reason why I got News+ in the first place, was for my mum. My idea for her birthday was to buy her an iPad, loaded with magazines that she might be interested in (I think we subscribed to 20 cooking/lifestyle titles on her behalf). But when I checked in with her, she told me that she had tried flipping through one magazine, but found it unnatural. I guess mum is more used to a physical magazine, and being able to flip through quickly and only stopping when something caught her eye. So that’s one family member not using it.
My sister said she preferred to use Google news, preferring to put up with pay-walls than to change news providers.
My wife just doesn’t have the time, and just prefers reading news which friends share on Facebook.
And my dad who I thought would be the biggest fan of News+, he too preferred what he already has (has subscription to Sydney Morning Herald), which he says there is already enough content there to keep him occupied.
So here is my dilemma, I want to keep a product and keep paying for it although it seems that no one wants it! Maybe it’s a reflection of our changing times? People prefer content in small digestible bite sized pieces; people only want what they’re interested in (not spoon fed a 70+ page document); and perhaps people rather watch something than read something (my mum loves Disney Plus, which we also downloaded to her iPad).
The value is definitely there, now it just requires an audience who has the time and patience to read. But if you want to learn more about Apple News+, click HERE! It might be just what you’re looking for! But for now, Apple you can keep having my money, God knows how much you’ve already taken from me.
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