After months of repeated delays and overcoming one obstacle after the next, on Wednesday, News Corp. finally released The Daily for iPad readers at a widely expected cost of $0.99 per week.
“New times demand new journalism,” News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch told members of the media who gathered for a New York City media event this morning to launch The Daily.
“The challenge was to take the best of traditional journalism and combine it with the best of contemporary technology. The iPad demands that we completely re-imagine our craft,” Murdoch added.
Working with News Corp. every step of the way on the new digital publication’s design and ultimate launch, Apple will play a significant role in the new offering’s eventual success or failure. In particular, it will be Apple’s iTunes that pushes every new issue to readers – all of whom are required to be paying subscribers.
The Daily delivers what News Corp. calls a unique mix of text, photography, audio, video, information graphics, touch interactivity and real-time data and social feeds. Each day The Daily will publish up to 100 pages focused on six key areas: news, sports, gossip and celebrity, opinion, arts and life, and apps and games.
“News Corp. is redefining the news experience with The Daily,” said Apple chief Steve Jobs, who was reportedly heavily involved in the production process for The Daily before taking his most recent medical leave of absence. “We think it is terrific and iPad users are really going to embrace it.”
“In short,” says Murdoch, “we believe The Daily will be the model for how stories are told and consumed in this digital age.”
Now its up to the iPad users of the world to decide if Mr. Murdoch is correct.
