Washington Post extends free iPad app subscription

The Washington post app is one of the best dedicated newspaper apps I've seen. The Daily is just terrible. Takes too long to load, crashes, and the writing and opinions are often juvenille and biased.

But if you really want to see a great newspaper app, download Press Reader. Full same day copies of thousands of newspapers from around the world, most for less than the cost on the newsstand. It's amazing that no one mentioned it.

Ultimately it comes down to content for me. The Daily will continue to improve technologically, but I see no attempt to give meaningful news in any depth.

It's been awhile since I've used the WP app; I'll have to give it a spin again.

I will pay for content when it is quality, insightful news. I don't need a summary that I get get in any RSS feed reader. (Most of which do it well already.)

Content!

Apple obviously have something plan, and the guys at Washington post and The Daily mail knows this. http://iphoneglance.com

Yeah, even though these options look great, even if they get them working good, I can't see myself paying for it.

I don't especially like the Washington Post app, I read WashingtonPost.com everyday and find much more value out of reading the straight website.

That said, will I pay for a subscription to the app? Absolutely. Why? Because up until now, I can't show my support to the paper I read everyday simply because I don't live in the D.C. area. I will still complain about the bad UI and maybe not even use it that much, but I feel that my subscription goes to pay for the reporting, not the v1.1 of the app, and that's worth my 99cents a week.

No chance I am paying for a news app. I use the WP app, and have for a few months, but it is clunky and does crash more than I think it should. I do like that it allows me to load content and read later when I have no service/connection, but I can find this news anywhere for free. The day they ask me pay for the content is the day I delete it from my phone.

I suspect this is what happens when you get some ex-PC developers to develop your iPad app. When trying to tell a PC tech how good a Mac is you must have heard the line "You Mac people only want things to look good" or "Macs are only good for pretty pictures and music" so it wouldn't be surprising if when 'forced' by their employer to work on their hated platform they make an app to fit their stereotypical image of what Macs and Mac users represent (to them).

It could explain why these so called "News" apps aren't so newsy. Having said that, I find the Financial Times app extremely good. As a non-US resident I can't try the Daily, but I have seen some publicity material and reviews.

I like The Daily. Sure, it has a way to go to live it up to it's potential. I'm surprised more people aren't willing to give it time to evolve. Seems like we have to be willing to invest some money on subscriptions if we want any of these news apps to be as successful as we want them to be.

I found The Daily to be bloated, cumbersome, slow and offered very little content that was relevant to me.
I would not pay for a newspaper app unless it really shines. WSJ maybe.

I took a look at this app and quickly deleted it.

Unfortunately all of these attempts by newspapers to create an online presence fail miserably.

I like the experience of reading a newspaper. What I'd like to see is an app that basically lets me read my newspaper but gives me better control with the flow of the articles using the simpler format of my iPad.

For me, being able to visually see the actual pages and flip them, just like reading a newspaper, is much more preferable to only getting excerpts that have been pre-established. Give me the ability to "touch" an article I like and flip to that complete article for reading and then return to my original location to continue viewing, would enhance my experience.

I can't tell you how many newspaper apps I have tried and deleted, mostly because it restricts what I can get from the print version and does nothing to improve on the experience of reading it in printed form.

Anyone out there listening?