Guardian launches paid-for iPhone app

Posted by Emma Heald on December 14, 2009 at 11:08 AM

The Guardian has launched a paid-for iPhone application, the paper reported, hoping to develop "the world's best content-based iPhone experience."

Key themes in the development were "speed, customisation, a great design aesthetic and ease of navigation through the full breadth of Guardian content," according to a blog post by mobile product manager Jonathon Moore. The app will refresh content every 15 minutes, and offline browsing will be possible. Content is organised by keyword, and users can customise their home page. As yet there is no video and no option to comment or read comments of others.

The blog post said that the app "represents the first example of our emerging mobile application strategy and offers a new opportunity to use the brilliant new technologies available in the mobile space to develop a truly engaging experience," and that the paper would be making announcements in due course regarding other platforms such as Android, RIM, Symbian and Microsoft. The paper will also remain "totally committed" to its standard mobile browser m.guardian.co.uk, which is free to use.

The app is currently priced at £2.39, and an FAQ section specified that "we are committing to offering a core level of service for the one-off charge but that doesn't rule out the possibility of charging for extra functionality at some point in the future."

Many newspapers already offer specific applications for iPhones or other mobile operating systems, and many have been seeking to make money from these, eager to avoid users becoming accustomed to free mobile news in the way that they have with free online news. CNN and the Spectator both launched paid applications in September: CNN, like the Guardian via a one-off payment, the Spectator via weekly charging. The newest iPhone operating system launched in June opened up this possibility of daily/weekly/monthly charging father than a one-off download fee, which the Wall Street Journal is also planning to utilise.

Could mobile be a significant revenue opportunity for newspapers? Will readers pay? A recent UK survey found that iPhone owners were more likely to pay for digital content than owners of other brands of phones, and Steve Outing suggested in September that while consumers might not be willing to pay for news stories on their phones if sold via micropayments, they will buy applications. An app is something that offers extra functionality and convenience, and is something to keep and is therefore seen as more valuable than buying stories, he reasons. What is necessary to remember however, is that as yet, only a small percentage of people own smart phones.

Some news organisations are offering readers a chance to interact further via iPhone apps, such as the Telegraph's citizen journalist feature and CNN's iReporter.

Source: Guardian