Apple News+ fails to bring in new subscribers despite impressive launch

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  • Reply 21 of 45
    The problem is branding.  

    Apple News+ isn’t about news, it’s about magazine subscriptions bundled into one price.  Unfortunately, the content is then smashed and bashed into the bastardized News App.

    Few know what “News+” offers so naturally don’t sign up.

    I’m not surprised News itself is doing fine, going to one place for news is handy.  Bottom line, most people don’t want to pay for news (that is free elsewhere) but they’ll view a reasonable number of ads to read it.

    Until Apple separates news from magazines, News+ will be a failure.
    cornchip
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  • Reply 22 of 45
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    I like Apple News, I hope they improve rather than abandon it.
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  • Reply 23 of 45
    foljs said:
    Well, nobody cares for News...

    It's not like there aren't 200000 other free online outlets....
    Actually, I would say hardly anybody cares for magazines. Many people still read the News.
    tht
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  • Reply 24 of 45
    firelock said:
    I like the Apple News app and went ahead and subscribed when News+ launched. I am still a subscriber and I especially enjoy the content from Smithsonian, Nat Geo, WSJ, and LA Times. News+ did allow me to drop a couple of magazine subscriptions, but that means that I saved like $40 a year for a spend of $120/year. I can’t say that I am thrilled with the service, but I’m going to keep it for now.
    I use the free version of the News app and like it quite a bit.  I think in hindsight, Apple should've kept the Texture app separate from News.  Those who want to subscribe to magazines could do so through Texture.  And in the News app have two options: 1) free, as they do now, & 2) ability to subscribe to individual newspapers via in-app subscriptions. 
    cornchip
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  • Reply 25 of 45
    The problem is branding.  

    Apple News+ isn’t about news, it’s about magazine subscriptions bundled into one price.  Unfortunately, the content is then smashed and bashed into the bastardized News App.

    Few know what “News+” offers so naturally don’t sign up.

    I’m not surprised News itself is doing fine, going to one place for news is handy.  Bottom line, most people don’t want to pay for news (that is free elsewhere) but they’ll view a reasonable number of ads to read it.

    Until Apple separates news from magazines, News+ will be a failure.
    "I’m not surprised News itself is doing fine, going to one place for news is handy.  Bottom line, most people don’t want to pay for news (that is free elsewhere) but they’ll view a reasonable number of ads to read it.

    Until Apple separates news from magazines, News+ will be a failure."

    I agree.
    iSalmanPak
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  • Reply 26 of 45
    There are so many problems with the concept, and it's not even Apple's fault.

    - News is inherently low quality and line-for-line repetitive: we've come to expect this since wire-based news drove down individual insight and meaningful journalism of current events.
    - News sources have always been plentiful, cheap or free. From $1 newspapers to very cheap-to-free government based news providers.
    - The audience is trained into the "free" ads-based model for news providers.
    - Many of the same providers still make their editorial / long form content available under ad-supported models.
    - Magazines are in heavy decline because there are so many better and near-instantaneous ways to obtain information.
    - The format lacks interactivity, meanwhile social news, blogs and social media each possess higher access for individuals to probe and gauge current events.

    This is not to say that this kind of media has no value, it has significant value - but any expectation of this service being as popular as other online services is without foundation.
    edited November 2019
    thtcornchip
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  • Reply 27 of 45
    DAalsethdaalseth Posts: 3,297member
    I get my news from the CBC and BBC. Both have free apps, and both IMO are sources I can trust. No reason to pay for AN+.
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  • Reply 28 of 45
    foljs said:
    Well, nobody cares for News...

    It's not like there aren't 200000 other free online outlets....
    Actually, I would say hardly anybody cares for magazines. Many people still read the News.
    I wouldn’t say no one cares about magazines, but Apple has failed in their marketing.  I suspect magazine owners refuse to include ads for Apple News+ on their websites and paper publications... worried about cannibalizing revenue.  Instead, they’re shooting themselves in the in the foot, preventing casual readers from becoming subscribers.

    Apple can’t very well go back and rewrite their agreements, so their options are limited.  Rebranding News+ is their only option but you can bet heads will roll when it comes to that.  Instead nothing happens.  No one wants to admit they messed up...
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  • Reply 29 of 45
    foljs said:
    Well, nobody cares for News...

    It's not like there aren't 200000 other free online outlets....
    Actually, I would say hardly anybody cares for magazines. Many people still read the News.
    I wouldn’t say no one cares about magazines, but Apple has failed in their marketing.  I suspect magazine owners refuse to include ads for Apple News+ on their websites and paper publications... worried about cannibalizing revenue.  Instead, they’re shooting themselves in the in the foot, preventing casual readers from becoming subscribers.

    Apple can’t very well go back and rewrite their agreements, so their options are limited.  Rebranding News+ is their only option but you can bet heads will roll when it comes to that.  Instead nothing happens.  No one wants to admit they messed up...
    When Apple can only garner 200,000 subscriptions on a user base of approximately 900 million users & this after only six months, there's two possible reasons: 1) Apple did a poor job of executing on the service or 2) people don't care about magazines as much as Apple had expected.  Apple's free version of News is doing quite well actually.
    muthuk_vanalingam
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  • Reply 30 of 45
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,715member
    DAalseth said:
    I get my news from the CBC and BBC. Both have free apps, and both IMO are sources I can trust. No reason to pay for AN+.
    Apple Bews is free, and has a huge number of news sources, including the BBC, with its own prejudices, and CBC, with theirs.

    people are getting confused, and I can tell right away who the ones are who have not used News+, because the naming is indeed confusing. It’s not a news app. It’s almost entirely a magazine app, with some newspapers. Apple News, the free app is excellent.
    cat52
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  • Reply 31 of 45
    Apples News+ is a great deal for me as I read a lot of magazines. 
    I now get Consumer Reports + a high end auto magazine + Scientific American+Atlantic+LA Times etc. all for less than I paid for an electronic + paper subscription to the auto magazine. And the e-reader in News+ is actually better than the dedicated e-Reader app for the auto magazine (whose dedicated subscription I just cancelled).

    Still, I think Apple is doing a terrible job of showing value for News+. To most people it just seems mixed in with the "free" content with little incentive to upgrade.

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  • Reply 32 of 45
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,578member
    I signed up for Apple News + but found it to be disappointing as some even still ask me for subscription to read their content.
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  • Reply 33 of 45
    kevin keekevin kee Posts: 1,289member
    News+ just released in Australia and so far I really enjoyed a few magazines like Reader's Digest, Nat/Aus Geo, Men's Health, GQ, The Australian. I usually purchased the hard copies in the past for much higher prices (then they either piled up or ended up in garbage bin). Almost all magazines/papers are well designed specifically for digital reading.
    edited November 2019
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  • Reply 34 of 45
    I love reading magazines but will wait until there are American Cinematographers and Film Comment in there before I subscribe. It’s as simple as that. 
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  • Reply 35 of 45
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    Appearing in an Apple services bundle soon.
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  • Reply 36 of 45
    foljs said:
    Well, nobody cares for News...

    It's not like there aren't 200000 other free online outlets....
    Actually, I would say hardly anybody cares for magazines. Many people still read the News.
    I still read the news, and I do so on the platform and from the sources I want.  I don't pay in order to get news that by the time they scan it or decide it is worth publishing it is hours or days old.  

    There is no growth in a paid news aggregator.  There are plenty of free ways to get the same news, and faster.  
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  • Reply 37 of 45
    I gave it a go when it launched but cancelled half way through my trial. I found the news app to be fine however a lot of the content was kinda rubbish.

    I happily pay for a number of quality magazines offline so I have no problem with paying for content, in fact just one of my magazine subscriptions cost more then this a month. However I found on Apple news there was just a lot of rubbish magazines that I don't want any of my money going to. I think there is a serious issue with the quality of content, not an Apple problem so much as they have a wide selection of news content, more a magazine producer problem (they're producing trash).

    The quality of journalism has decline so much in recent years. I not going to pay for stories that push celebrity rubbish or constantly tell me I'm evil cause I am a white male. That seems to be the flavour of media in general these days, try to cause outrage to get clicks. I don't think its a good thing in general but I get it in the free media space as its a tactic that works to help with advertisement however I'm not going to pay you for that crap. 
    Hmm can you source us a few of those articles? Not articles that identify ways minorities and others are working toward achieving equality with white males, but articles that actually telling you white males are evil? I have not come across these articles.

    For the record I have no problem with diversity and have and do work on many programs to assist breaking down inequality in our society. That has nothing to do with a lot of the frankly toxic, divisive media that is being pumped out to create division and get people to "pick sides" rather then hold those in power accountable. I have personally found the more I have limited my exposure to news media in general the happier I have been.

    I can't quote you articles directly on Apple news service (not cause there arent any) but as I mentioned before I no longer subscribe. I'm not sure where in the world you live so the cultural differences in your media vs what I have seen could be different but even the most basic of viewing or reading can see the divisive game that is being played out in the western world.

    You have left leaning media saying things like "white men are the biggest terror threat"  https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/10/31/cnn-host-don-lemon-said-white-men-are-biggest-terror-threat-this-country/" which of course totally ignores that calling out a group of people based on there skin colour is racists and then you have the right pushing back with there own rhetoric.

    So to your question, yes there is media actually saying directly, white men are evil based on the doings of a few. They do this to insight outrage and get us all arguing and writing comments cause engagement is worth dollars.

    cat52airnerd
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  • Reply 38 of 45
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    netrox said:
    I signed up for Apple News + but found it to be disappointing as some even still ask me for subscription to read their content.
    I would greatly appreciate it if the Apple News app allowed me to hide everything that requires a subscription to Apple News+, or a standalone subscription.  As it stands it's like you're constantly being advertised at.
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  • Reply 39 of 45
    AppleZulu said:
    I gave it a go when it launched but cancelled half way through my trial. I found the news app to be fine however a lot of the content was kinda rubbish.

    I happily pay for a number of quality magazines offline so I have no problem with paying for content, in fact just one of my magazine subscriptions cost more then this a month. However I found on Apple news there was just a lot of rubbish magazines that I don't want any of my money going to. I think there is a serious issue with the quality of content, not an Apple problem so much as they have a wide selection of news content, more a magazine producer problem (they're producing trash).

    The quality of journalism has decline so much in recent years. I not going to pay for stories that push celebrity rubbish or constantly tell me I'm evil cause I am a white male. That seems to be the flavour of media in general these days, try to cause outrage to get clicks. I don't think its a good thing in general but I get it in the free media space as its a tactic that works to help with advertisement however I'm not going to pay you for that crap.

    I think Apple has made the mistake of thinking the streaming music model would work for news media, thinking its kinda the same. It fundamentally isn't the same, the simplest way I can explain it is that I would happily listen to a tonne of cds in a music store trying new things and listening to lots of random stuff if I could, who knows what I might find that I love but in a news agency there is only a couple of things I want and would pay for, the rest I don't care about.

    It is a sight difference in consumer behaviour but its a fundamental one. I don't think people really care all that much about an all you can eat news service and with the rubbish media these days I think they care even less.


    "I not going to pay for stories that push celebrity rubbish or constantly tell me I'm evil cause I am a white male. That seems to be the flavour of media in general these days, try to cause outrage to get clicks. I don't think its a good thing in general but I get it in the free media space as its a tactic that works to help with advertisement however I'm not going to pay you for that crap."

    Relax. They have "Maxim" in AppleNews+ just for you.

    Always someone that can't argue a point or provide thoughtful insights... just attempts to insult. If that's all you got you really need to do better then that. I'm sure some people enjoy "Maxim" but funny enough you kind of make my point for me. Lots of trash in the media that the majority don't want to pay for, thanks for that.

    edited November 2019
    cat52
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  • Reply 40 of 45
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,643member
    Explains why standard Apple News is stuffed full of ads now. I’m using it less and less because of them.
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