Why
Our Mobile Viewers ("Web Apps") Are Browser Based.
There
is a lot of discussion and trial in the publishing space around Apps and the
value that Apps can bring to magazine publishers. While we believe there is a lot of future
value in bringing unique Native Apps to readers, we feel that delivering Apps
via the Web (ie Browser based Mobile versions or "Web Apps") make the MOST
sense currently for publishers and readers alike. Here is why --
Every
Mobile Device with A Browser Has Immediate Access – No fussing or downloads
required
A
browser is preinstalled on each device, while a Native App is not. To get to the
specific Native App you need to take several steps to find it. First by going to the App store for the
specific device, then Searching for the specific App (which may be tricky to
find at all), then you need to sign in
to access your App account if you have one (else create a new account if you
don’t), wait for the App to download, wait for install – and finally you can
view!! With our Web Apps (mobile
versions), if a reader knows the URL of the main digital edition, the URL of the
publication’s main website with a digital edition link, or has an email with a
link, they can simply enter that and Presto – issue appears immediately for
viewing!
At
Advanced Publishing we use a single URL for all issues, so once you have it
bookmarked, you have immediate access to all issues. In addition, we typically use the Magazine’s
own domain, so it is easy to remember even if you don’t bookmark it. From the
iPhone and iPad you can easily add a Homescreen Icon/Launcher to directly get to
all of our digital issues but simply clicking on the "+" on the nav bar, and
clicking the "Add to Homescreen" button.
The
importance of Sharing and Links
Today’s
Native Apps don’t allow for sharing content outside of readers who already have
the App installed. Readers who don’t have the App, can’t be shared with – no
easy way to take advantage of viral marketing from within an App.
Search
Engine Visibility
Search
engine visibility can be developed when your solution lives in the browser – not
so with a Native App. Anyone on any
device (PC or mobile) with access to a search engine can easily access your
digital edition magazine content – you can’t do that with a
Native App!
App
stores control access and customer relationships
With
a Native App, you are subject to content policies and controls of the App Store
owner, who may determine at any time that your App should be pulled. In addition, when your readers buy or
download an App, the App Store owner now owns the relationship to the reader,
not the Publisher. With Advanced
Publishing’s mobile versions, access is managed via the same authentication that
the PC version of the digital edition uses – so you control who gets access and
the customer data that goes along with that.
Revenue
Sharing
– Each App store wants a piece of the action further fragmenting the potential
business model for the publisher
Browser-based
mobile viewers (Web Apps) are a better match across
platforms
Developing
Native Apps is a platform-specific game. They only work on specific devices
using specific programming protocols and languages. Today, the map is relatively
easy to develop for -- iPhone OS, Android OS, Web OS, Symbian and RIM OS. But
other operating systems are on the way - with even more fragmentation to come --
which will add increasing complexity over time.
Browsers
also come in different flavors. But the protocols, formats and web standards
provide a mature framework to develop within making it relatively easy to keep
on top of changes and upgraded versions.
In addition, the benefits of HTML5, which is just around the horizon,
have great promise for even further standardization and rich capabilities that
now require a browser plug in (ie Flash or Silverlight).
Limited
Reader data via Native Apps Once
a Native App is downloaded the connection to the reader is broken, therefore a
publisher has no way of know how the reader interacted with the magazine – what
did they read, what links were clicked, what video elements were viewed. With Web Apps all reader activity, regardless
of device is captured for the publisher to use for measurement in countless
ways.
We
are excited about the the pace of improvement in new wireless devices and the
emerging power of smartphones. At Advanced Publishing we work hard to evolve
our solutions that allow our publishing customers focus on their expertise in
creating and designing beautiful and compelling content, while we worry about
getting that content in their readers hands in the most effective
way!!
