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'


Chat app takes on ebook retailers, Amazon with manga comics service

Line, the popular messaging platform based in Japan, is challenging ebook vendors like Amazon and Rakuten with a new service to download and view manga, or Japanese comic books. The company has launched "Line Manga," a mobile app for Android and iOS phones. Line's initial offering consists of... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wide range #consumer groups #key part #third-party apps #growing suite


Headline buys The Wrong Knickers

Headline Publishing has acquired The Wrong Knickers: A Decade of Chaos by journalist Bryony... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #headline buys #wrong knickers


Snapplify: Custom Publishing Apps Out of Africa

South Africa is making itself known as a home for digital startups. Among the hottest is Snapplify, a digital publishing solutions provider with a growing global profile. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #south africa #digital startups


Zinio magazine app heads to Windows Phone 8 as a Lumia exclusive

Zinio's magazine app for tablets and smartphones has already found its way onto quite a few platforms (even some now-defunct ones), and it looks like it'll soon be heading to yet another -- at least partially. The company announced today that its Windows Phone 8 app will be available in the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #windows phone #multiple sources #make reading


Bloomsbury offers app translation rights

Bloomsbury Children’s was selling translation rights in apps for the first time at this... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bloomsbury children


What Went Wrong for Canada’s D&M Publishers

Veteran Canadian publisher Scott McIntyre described the dismantling of D&M Publishers, the iconic Canadian independent publishing house he cofounded 40 years ago, as the result of an unfortunate confluence of circumstances. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dm publishers


Almanac app to chart Gaiman's huge 2013

Neil Gaiman looks set to be one of the busiest authors of 2013, with a host of book publications... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #neil gaiman #book publications


Caffeine Nights launches free sampling app

Independent publisher Caffeine Nights is making two chapters of every one of its books free to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Google Play Books comes to India with an updated Android app in tow

Google Play Books has been on a slow world tour that hasn't given Asia much love. Google is addressing that regional deficit in grand fashion today by launching its digital bookshop in India. The collection includes the expected blend of local and international titles, although the Books... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international titles #content strategy #source link


PSA: Kindle iOS app users should not update to version 3.6.1

This one's coming straight from the horse's mouth. Amazon is acknowledging a "known issue" with version 3.6.1 of its Kindle app for iOS -- the company is recommending that current users avoid the latest update, which hit the App Store today. According to TUAW, the new version may completely... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ll find


European Publisher Axel Springer Acquires Second Screen App TunedIn

TunedIn Media, the German company behind the second screen “social TV’ app TunedIn, has been acquired by European publishing giant Axel Springer. The amount isn’t being disclosed, so it’s unlikely to be a home ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #german company


With New Plan, APP Works to Win Back Customers

After announcing in early February that it had discontinued sourcing paper from threatened Indonesian rainforests, a representative of Singapore-based Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) was at the International Toy Fair Show in New York last week to explain the policy to toy companies and children’s... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early february #toy companies #book publishers


'Exciting' education innovations revealed at BETT

Learning resources for use on tablets and mobile phones were at the forefront of the BETT 2013... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #learning resources #mobile phones


Penguin produces app of Anne Frank's Diary

Penguin has released a digital version of Anne Frank's famous diary, with Penguin imprint... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin imprint #anne frank #digital version


Love Haruki Murakami? There’s An App For That

In the UK, Vintage Books and Aimer Media have launched a Haruki Murakami inspired diary app for Apple devices. The "Murakami Diary" offers 6 new exclusive short stories for £1.99. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vintage books #aimer media #apple devices


When Creativity Takes A Wrong Turn: Lousy Book Covers

Aptly titled new Tumblr "Lousy Book Covers" collects the delightfully dubious achievements in jacket design. The book Spending Christmas With a Yeti is already at a marketplace disadvantage, what with that title, but then there’s the book cover. Oh boy, where to start. The real-life... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book cover #book covers #chip kidd #covers featured


Murakami diary app from Vintage

Vintage Books and Aimer Media have released a Haruki Murakami diary app containing six new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vintage books #aimer media


Amazon releases Kindle apps and ebooks into China

Amazon has started its Chinese Kindle incursion by launching the reader app for Android and iOS in that market, along with a large selection of ebooks. There's no mention of any Kindle devices like the Fire HD in the nation yet, but Amazon just did a similar launch in Brazil and said the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle devices #reader app #large selection #fire hd


Bonnier to Make Magazine Content Available Via Smart TV Apps

Partnership with Flingo ports video content to more than 15 million devices. With the rise of internet-connected televisions, the big screen is becoming another place for publishers to get their content in front of viewers. One recent example of this is a partnership between Bonnier and smart TV... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big screen


Apps For Everyone: 29th Street Publishing Helps Writers Get Paid

29th Street Publishing sees no reason why selling subscriptions shouldn’t be as easy as blogging. At a time when print magazines such as Newsweek and tablet publications like The Daily are shuttering, the team at 29th Street Publishing is betting on the future of magazines for iPad and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #print magazines #independent publishing #selling subscriptions