Sunday Newspapers on the iPad

It’s Sunday, and I’m on holiday – or as on holiday as an under-employed freelance consultant can be – and so my thoughts turn to those most vital components of a relaxing Sunday: coffee and the newspapers.

I’m largely a tablet newspaper chap these days, because of the lack of clutter, the reduced price and the speed of delivery. But I try to restrict myself to two newspaper rolling subs. And I’m about to make a change to those:

The Constant

The Times– Whatever your feelings about the politics around News International these days, they’ve done a fine, fine job with their tablet apps. The £9.99 I’m coughing up each month for my online package is a tenner well spent, in my book. (Or on my tablet… 😉 ) In particular the fact that the Sunday edition contains all the material from the glossy supplements endears it to me. I download it all on Sunday, and browse my way through the sections during the week. But it’s not just a paper replica – there are videos and other multimedia content. It’s the concept of the paper rethought for the tablet. It’s a good value package, and the apps keep improving. And there’s some pretty fine journalism in there, too.

The Rejected

The Telegraph – I’ve been a subscribed to this app since they launched a pay package, but the current month is the last for the time being. The app feels like it’s falling behind the curve right now. None of the main supplements from the weekend editions make it in, which is irritating, and lack of little iOS touches  – like being app to zoom the photos to full screen – make it a curiously unsatisfying experience. It feels – right now – like a simplistic repackaging of the main newspaper content, and that’s not enough to stay competitive. Departing from my iPad at the end of the current subscription month, until there’s a significant overhaul of the app.

The Trial

The Guardian – I’ve not spent enough time with this app. I downloaded it, played with it for a while in the free trial, and then abandoned it for no good reason. So, the £9.99 that used to go to The Telegraph is going towards this for a while. Things I like: the haring buttons on the content, the design and the fact you can set it to only keep that day’s issue (useful, as space on iPads gets more cramped) and it supports Apple’s Newsstand. Things I don’t: elements of the navigation. We’ll see how I feel a couple of months in.