Flipboard CEO knocks Apple News for closed ecosystem, says product is 'living in the past'...
Flipboard CEO Mike McCue had a few choice words for segment competitor Apple News, describing Apple's news service as "living in the past" because it does not curate media, offers no social sharing integrations and lacks other features that would set it apart in the crowded space.
Speaking at the Code Media event on Tuesday, McCue addressed the immense pressure of competing against tech giant Apple.
"When you're an entrepreneur and you're competing with Apple, that's a pretty big deal" McCue said, adding Apple is "a partner and a competitor at the same time."
Flipboard launched eight years ago as an iOS app designed to aggregate and present internet content in a format readable on mobile devices. In the intervening years, the product has added curation, sharing and other features to stay ahead of the competition.
Apple News launched alongside iOS 9 in 2015 as a standalone Apple service that comes built-in on all iOS devices. The product features its own formatting and advertising system, both of which have been criticized for cloistering publishers and potentially stunting adoption. This walled garden approach might be a hassle for some, but it does allow for an extremely polished presentation that reaches tens of millions of installed users.
McCue took the opportunity to point out what he views as Apple News' flaws, while touting those same features in his own app.
"Apple News as a product is living in the past," McCue said. He added that the service lacks social sharing capabilities, said there's "no curation happening -- it's algorithmic," and pilloried the product as "another format that publishers have to adopt."
"We're not trying to create a closed ecosystem...and that's a big deal for publishers," McCue said.
According to the latest statistics, Apple News has gained at least 70 million monthly users in about two and a half years. Flipboard still leads, however, with 100 million readers per month.
Speaking at the Code Media event on Tuesday, McCue addressed the immense pressure of competing against tech giant Apple.
"When you're an entrepreneur and you're competing with Apple, that's a pretty big deal" McCue said, adding Apple is "a partner and a competitor at the same time."
Flipboard launched eight years ago as an iOS app designed to aggregate and present internet content in a format readable on mobile devices. In the intervening years, the product has added curation, sharing and other features to stay ahead of the competition.
Apple News launched alongside iOS 9 in 2015 as a standalone Apple service that comes built-in on all iOS devices. The product features its own formatting and advertising system, both of which have been criticized for cloistering publishers and potentially stunting adoption. This walled garden approach might be a hassle for some, but it does allow for an extremely polished presentation that reaches tens of millions of installed users.
McCue took the opportunity to point out what he views as Apple News' flaws, while touting those same features in his own app.
"Apple News as a product is living in the past," McCue said. He added that the service lacks social sharing capabilities, said there's "no curation happening -- it's algorithmic," and pilloried the product as "another format that publishers have to adopt."
"We're not trying to create a closed ecosystem...and that's a big deal for publishers," McCue said.
According to the latest statistics, Apple News has gained at least 70 million monthly users in about two and a half years. Flipboard still leads, however, with 100 million readers per month.
Comments
I think Apple may have been way late to the news game anyway. And, given that they really have no way or desire to monetize it — either through ads or a subscription — it’s just not clear to me what purpose it really serves in the Apple ecosystem. Seems like a bit of wasted effort.
I get updates from Apple News every day and they typically include all the sources you mentioned above, but in one convenient app. I don’t have to go to different apps or websites to see the same thing. I, for one, am glad they provide the Apple News app. I find it very useful.
My wife used to use Flipboard all the time. She still goes to it occasionally but she’s shifting to Apple News more and more. I wonder if this is a general trend and Flipboard is starting to feel it.
Sometimes I'll notice something on FB's Trending sidebar or someone will post/share a link into into their feed, but Apple News seems to be the most well rounded of all the different news aggregates.
I used Flipboard of a hot minute when it was first launched for the iPad years ago, but I didn't stick with it. The concept seemed great and the animations were nifty for its time but I can't recall getting better, more relevant, or well rounded news when I used it, but we're probably talking nearly a decade ago (I'm guessing) so who I can't judge what Flipboard is today in relation to Apple News.
I am glad you and your wife like it and use it. It’s not obvious to me that I get the breadth and depth of both news and opinion from AN as I do going to each of the five sources that mentioned, daily.
just let us select where we take news if they are truly legit...
For the record FlipBoard isn't "human curated" either. They hand-curate what publishers they work with and stories they feature, but algorithms take it from there. TIL the CEO of Flipboard doesn't actually know how his company works.
I used to have Flipboard and Apple News, but one of them got deleted and other one I use every single day.
I always smile when I see Fakes News in the trending stories: nine variations on "here's the new lie so-and-so is trying to push" or "this new government thing will hurt vulnerable people" from legit news sites, and one "Couple sues over exploding breadmaker" type story from Fakes, cuz they've got nothing else anymore.
There are far more interesting and far more thoughtful conservative outlets, but to be fair they are much harder to find than they used to be.
If the curation is algorithmic then it’s one of the best implementations I’ve seen.
No social media sharing? When I want the opinion of some random bod typing in his underpants then I’ll go to Facebook
I think Apple News is a value-added service provided by Apple to iPhone and iPad users and not something they are trying to monetise.
I haven't used Flipboard, but I assume it is an app meant to generate revenue for its owners. By that yardstick, I think they cannot be compared.
McCue saying "we are the best, much better than Apple", is probably true if you compare Flipboard and Apple News, but I doubt Apple is having sleepless nights about it.
That's how I see it, anyway.
One advantage of going and finding the news yourself is the ability to establish different points of view.
I drop into Apple News occasionally if there's something interesting on my notifications screen but tbh I don't even know what or where the news app icon is.