Tech journalists may have been wrong about Meerkat but they're right to get excited about new apps

The danger of a herd mentality in tech hack circles is real, including missing out on mainstream products, but a nose for interesting news goes beyond analyticsTechnology journalism – and US technology journalism in particular – is getting a roasting every bit as stinging as Justin Bieber’s recent Comedy Central special, in an opinion piece by mobile industry expert Tero Kuittinen published on tech site Boy Genius Report.Titled “Meerkat is dying – and it’s taking US tech journalism with it”, it pulls no punches in its assessment of whether recent, excitable coverage of video-broadcasting app Meerkat was matched by actual downloads and usage.“Meerkat’s highest daily ranking on the U.S. iPhone download chart was No. 140, on March 20th. At this point, the app had already generated thousands of news stories and blog posts, most of them enthusiastically describing it as a hit. But actual American consumers never showed the slightest sign of warming up.Meerkat’s ‘success’ was the creation of a handful of West Coast tech bloggers who managed to lure major newspapers into covering a phenomenon that did not exist.“Writing about the mobile app industry is a curious niche; you don’t actually have to understand download statistics, different product segments or other industry fundamentals. Unlike movies, fashion, cars or the book industry, you don’t have to focus on products that possess real consumer appeal. In the United States, app industry reporters can simply choose to cover an... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #book industry

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Tech journalists may have been wrong about Meerkat but they're right to get excited about new apps'

Tech journalists may have been wrong about Meerkat but they're right to get excited about new apps

The danger of a herd mentality in tech hack circles is real, including missing out on mainstream products, but a nose for interesting news goes beyond analyticsTechnology journalism – and US technology journalism in particular – is getting a roasting every bit as stinging as Justin Bieber’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book industry

Google applies its AI tech to reporting with 'Journalist Studio' tools

Since introducing the Google News Initiative in 2018, the company has used the $300 million journalism project to fight disinformation and help publishers make money. Now, Google is also investing in journalism-specific software with Journalist Studi... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-10-14 11:00:47 UTC ]
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Digital Publishing: Mobile vs. App is the Wrong Question

In January, CNN announced staggering growth in the number of users accessing their content on mobile devices. For 2013, the company averaged 30 million monthly unique visitors on mobile, an increase of 40 percent over 2012.     ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google will stop trying to make its iOS apps look like Android apps

Google says it will phase out its use of Material Design interface elements within its iOS apps in favor of Apple’s own UIKit. Jeff Verkoeyen, the company's iOS design chief, announced the change in a Twitter thread spotted by The Verge.This year my team shifted the open source Material... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-10-12 17:16:51 UTC ]
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Facebook rolls out high-tech ad registry with a low-tech twist

Facebook is rolling out its Canadian political ad registry today with a low-tech twist — a bid to prevent people based outside of Canada from running ads in the upcoming federal election. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2019-06-10 08:00:00 UTC ]
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Tech We’re Using: Sliding Backward on Tech? There Are Benefits

"I find that many new technologies are actually far less efficient than the tools they attempt to replace," said Pamela Paul, editor of The New York Times Book Review. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Apps are the new magazines’: Why Bloomberg’s doubling down on apps

Bloomberg thinks apps are the key to its mobile future. The publisher has redesigned its mobile apps to feature day-parted content as well as quicker access to videos, market data and other relevant content. It’s the first in a series of apps Bloomberg’s 20-person apps team is working on,... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Don’t ask what’s wrong with the reader, what's wrong with the books?': writing for readers with dyslexia

From tinting their pages yellow to redesigning fonts, publisher Barrington Stoke is leading the way in dyslexia-friendly books. They and their authors – including Meg Rosoff and Anthony McGowan – explain the practicalitiesMainstream understanding of dyslexia has come a long way from the days... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the “Web vs. Apps” Debate for Online Publishers, Apps Are on a Run

It’s what qualifies as an age-old debate in the digital media business: Web or native apps? The question isn’t really either/or — for most news outlets, the answer is “both” — but since the ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's apps: 'Technology interferes with the story in most apps'

Author and critic Nicolette Jones says shes never seen a picture-book app doing something a book cant do betterLots of developers and publishers are exploring the potential of interactive picture book-apps for children, but can they ever hope to deliver a reading experience comparable to books?... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comixology Ends In-App Buying on iOS apps

Much as predicted at the time of its acquisition by Amazon, Comixology is removing in-app purchasing from its iOS apps, eliminating the 30% sales commission to Apple. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The HTML5 Question: To App or Not To App?

As publishers puzzle over their tablet strategies, a larger question will complicate matters during the next few years. Since tablets and smartphones all have built-in browsers, why not skip native apps altogether and publish in HTML or its next incarnation: HTML5? Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Microsoft is killing Android apps on Windows 11

Microsoft is unexpectedly killing off its support for Android apps within Windows 11, although you’ll have a year to play games on your Windows tablet until support officially expires. But if you haven’t already installed support for Android apps, you’re out of luck. Microsoft isn’t... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-03-05 18:15:39 UTC ]
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Kara Swisher Is Sick of Tech People, So She Wrote a Book About Them

Silicon Valley’s top pundit dishes on her memoir Burn Book, immature billionaires, and whether she’s actually mean. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2024-02-15 11:00:00 UTC ]
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