Fairfax: It’s a Sydney Morning Herald Smart Edition, not an iPad app
Sydney Morning Herald boss Lloyd Whish-Wilson has told Mumbrella that the paper’s electronic edition launched last week is not intended to be the newspaper’s main iPad app.
He told Mumbrella: “There’s no suggestion this is our app. This is an add-on.”
Last week Fairfax announced the SMH’s Smart Edition with a press release that began:
“The Sydney Morning Herald launches ‘Smart Edition’ App for the iPad
As an existing subscriber to the paper version, I had a quick look at the Smart Edition on the iPad last night. For what it’s worth, I think it works well as a tool that enables me to quickly scan the paper and tap through on the headlines that catch my attention.
Is it a great iPad app for distributing the news? Not really. However, as a free add-on for my existing subscription I find it works quite well based on about 15 minutes of perusal. I have struggled to find the time to read the SMH of late and if this helps me get more value out of my subscription, more power to it.
Of course, if this apparently in-the-works “native” iPad app provides a better experience at a similar or lower price, there’s a very good chance I’ll cancel my dead tree version that clutters up my house and fills up my recycling bin every fortnight.
So, they tried to pass it off and see how many people would actually like it, realised everyone thinks it’s quite the meh, and then called it an electronic add-on or whatever? Nice.
I think a better reference for it would have been the ‘Not-So-Smart’ Edition!
If it looks like and app and operates like an app…
Damage is done now. Even if they launched a free app, it would tank given the bad press this cock-up has caused.
seriously Fairfax… you really expect us to believe that?
I would like to see some of your cynical columnists buy that crap if it were any other company. That’s like Apple saying that the new iPhone is supposed to not work, but that’s not the real one – the real one comes out in September. Sorry if you purchased it!
Just because you put ‘smart edition’ in front of app, still makes it an app.
Admit it Fairfax, you tried the cheap way out, got it wrong, and now you’re back-peddling. Just be done with it, and give your readers something better.
If you have to write an essay explaining your new product to your dumb customers, you are clearly doing it wrong
I’ve never heard such rubbish in all my life. They launched this with full intention of positioning it as the SMH Ipad app……and when everyone decides they hate it they send Whish-Wilson out to back-pedal furiously.
Why would you launch a half arsed attempt when the ‘real ipad app’ is due in September? Absolute joke……The Australian here i come!
App-alling
So far I have found viewing the actual SMH website on the ipad a better experience, despite the tabloid look, because there are no videos. I don’t accidently trigger advertisements containing poisonous brats dancing in front of a TV. (I still dont know what the ad was for after numerous viewings).
However the website is still extremely messy, overcrowded and hideously ugly. I would expect the SMH to be a bit above the Daily Telegraph.
The SMH needs to look at the website for the New York Times. To see how it is done.
Let’s see what September brings.
its in the app store – therefore its an app.
fairfax pick your ball back up
the nzherald.co.nz ipad App is getting good reviews in NZ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-h.....f=masthead
It’s not just the app they screwed.
http://www.presscouncil.org.au...../1472.html
As I’ve said before, The Age will be dead and gone by Feb. 1, 2011, victim of its editors’ incompetence and board’s stupidity.