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The apps, available at the iTunes App Store from this morning, are definitely nicely designed, with fast operation, smooth swiping, relatively minimal advertising, a dedicated video section, photos and videos in some stories, turning a newspaper into more of a magazine-style format.
While it's definitely nice, is it a revolution? Certainly the folks over at Australian Business Traveller are impressed, although they do note that travellers won't be able to use their beloved iPads to read apps as they take off or land, something that the humble newspaper has absolutely no issues with whatsoever.
After all, couldn't Fairfax have delivered its content in a website specifically designed for the iPad and other tablets?
Sure, but then it wouldn't be able to charge $8.99 a month in an easy fashion through Apple's App Store payments system, which ensures a 30% cut goes to Apple's coffers instead of Fairfax's.
Of course, Fairfax won't be making a dime from subscriptions anytime soon - it's offering the app free of charge for six months, relying instead on some banner advertisers, from telcos to car makers, to make its efforts 'pay' in the short term.
However, as the clock ticks ever closer towards the free 6 month limit, readers and Fairfax will definitely be wondering how many freeloaders it can convert into actual paying customers.
Continued on page two, please read on!
