Slate comes to the iPhone, along with a lot of advertising

I've always liked Slate Magazine on the web. It's sometimes sassy and irreverent, but always interesting -- an eclectic mix of politics, culture and tech news.

Now, Slate has come to the iPhone in a US$1.99 app that features all the articles from the site, as well as the blog posts, staff tweets and streaming video from the Slate podcasts. Once content is downloaded you can read it off-line, which is a worthwhile feature. Access to Slate on the web is free, and you can read Slate from any mobile browser by going to mobile.slate.com.

So why the charge for the iPhone app? Slate says it cost something to develop it, and it gives you a much richer experience in a portable form. I can't argue with that, but I can argue with the ads that appear absolutely everywhere. Even the splash screen popped up with an ad. I think that's a bit much after I've paid for the app, but I'm beginning to see a lot of this in other apps as well.

I do like the app a lot, and it is a better experience for me than reading Slate stories in Safari on the iPhone. I even prefer the app to reading the site on my desktop or laptop. I just think the constant intrusive ads are a turn-off that will keep some people from pulling the trigger on what is an otherwise laudable effort.

Slate works on any iPhone or iPod touch with OS 3.0 or greater. I expect we'll see an iPad version as well.

Full disclosure: In the dim, distant past I worked at the Washington Post Company, which owns Slate.

Take a gander at some screen shots below:

Slate for iPhone screen shots

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Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slate-com/id357555242?mt=8

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Multimedia Odds and ends iPhone iPod touch App Review

I've always liked Slate Magazine on the web. It's sometimes sassy and irreverent, but always interesting -- an eclectic mix of politics,...

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ars:
no offense. If you are happy in your work, continue it. I like our supply and demand economy. I put my dough where I find value. I find higher value in mobile.slate.com.
I think the paid app is answering a question that I did not ask. Perhaps others have asked it. Cheers.

March 10 2010 at 1:09 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

bodyslam_t

Good Tip of iPhone Thanks

March 09 2010 at 8:56 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

I am the guy you refer to in the article. $1.99 AND ads is not going to work for me.

Frankly, it's not the ads that are stopping me. It's the $1.99.

March 09 2010 at 6:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to L3's comment

ars_workerbee

I am someone who is selling a news app for $1.99, and if you won't pay less than half a fancy coffee for the work i put into building it, then i don't mind not having you as a customer.

March 10 2010 at 12:43 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Daniel

Why can't they have two versions, a free one with ads galore and a paid app without ads? I'd be willing to pay $5 for something like that if it means not raping my eyes with cheap looking ads.

March 09 2010 at 6:06 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Sparks

Honestly, I can see why you'd put ads even in a paid product. Unlike on a desktop app, there's no way to handle a '2.0 upgrade' for existing 1.0 customers. Either 2.0 is free to everyone who bought 1.0 (as is 3.0, 4.0 and so on), or 2.0 is pay for everyone as a separate app, even those who bought 1.0.

This isn't really a sustainable model. If you redesign something for a 2.0 release, but end up giving it away for free, you still need a way to continue paying the developers who worked on that app. I don't really /like/ the tactic, and would never use it in any of my own apps, but I can also understand the reasoning behind it.

March 09 2010 at 5:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Harkonian

I will never willingly support a company that tries to double-dip. If I am paying for the app, I don't expect there will be ads and vice versa.

This reminds me so much of how XM radio was originally pitched: all entertainment and no ads. A year later and you starting hearing ads fairly often.

March 09 2010 at 5:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Harkonian's comment

Charli

normally I would agree. but at that low a price I don't see apps as being a problem. times ten the price and yeah ads also is a tad tacky.

same with the whole hulu thing. I would love for them to be a choice of free with ads or paid (say $10-15 a month) and no ads.

March 10 2010 at 11:23 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kevin

Is the iSlate name now available?

March 09 2010 at 5:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply