Thursday, June 30, 2011

Will HTML5 Get A Boost Today?

June 30 (Today) is the deadline for app makers to get in compliance with Apple's strict new rules for in-app payment and subscription links.

Everyone's still confused about how to interpret the rules -- and as written, the guidelines could get big-name apps like Amazon's Kindle booted from Apple's iTunes App Store. The new rules explicitly prohibit apps that include "external mechanisms for purchases ... such as a 'buy' button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book."

The issue is that Apple wants content sellers to use its own in-app payments system, which gives Apple a 30% cut of all sales. Many merchants consider that a dealbreaker.

Other developers are evading Apple's clutches by eschewing mobile apps altogether and building around an emerging Web standard called HTML5.

HTML5 supports video, offline reading, touch and gestural interaction -- all functions that, until recently, were only available for mobile devices on native apps. The Financial Times and ESPN each built new mobile apps in HTML5.

That lets them connect with customers directly through the mobile Web -- no app store required.

Most of the publishers we work with will be going the HTML5 route as part of their mobile content delivery strategies moving forward. Using existing development talent, controlling the revenue stream and making mobile app experiences on the fly without having to wait for in-store approvals seem like the perfect storm to make this inevitable for all publishers.

Friday, June 10, 2011

publishflow Keeps News Orgs In The Know

Publishing has certainly become a more competitive market over the last 10 years, with editorial budgets falling, print readership dropping, and the difficulty that news sites have had in securing paid memberships. This economic reality is driving many changes in the journalistic trade and the news media industry. One such change might be increased competition for readers and more varied news sources come onto the scene. Enter publishflow, a web service programmed to watch your editorial back. Read full story by Garrett Wilkin at programmableweb

publishflow at WAN-IFRA International Newsroom Summit

We are in Zurich for the WAN-IFRA International Newsroom Summit a two day gathering of news execs, editors and digital enthusiasts.

Up on the Agenda today are Tablet publishing and business models for the newsroom.

One of our Canadian clients Postmedia is presenting "New revenue models for the newsroom"... publishflow is one of the services they are using on a daily basis to monitor real time audience, competitor and topic trending metrics in their newsrooms across Canada.

Looking forward to the session to hear more about some of the emerging business models Postmedia is putting in place.