The Daily’s Pricing

Patrick LaForge on Twitter:

One test of the @Gruber “simplicity theorem” will be Murdoch’s The Daily iPad app, built with full Apple support and promotion.

The Daily has Apple’s support and some promotional help, but I certainly wouldn’t call it Apple’s “full” support and promotion. It’s a News Corp. venture, not a joint News Corp./Apple venture.

But the bigger point is that I’m not arguing that simplicity of pricing is the only thing that matters. Everything matters. I’d say The Daily’s success depends on three things: the quality of their software, the quality of their journalism, and their pricing. They’ve got the pricing nailed: $1/week or $40/year. The software stinks, though, and so far, I’m not a fan of their journalism. If The Daily fails, it doesn’t mean they got the pricing wrong.

There’s no doubt in my mind that The New York Times is worth more than The Daily. I’d pay double what The Daily charges for The Times, without batting an eyelash. But The Times is charging at least five times more.

One more thought on The Times’s pricing: What’s the thinking behind charging more to use their iPad app than their smartphone apps? If I’m paying for the content, what difference does it make how big my screen is? To me, the extra $5/month they’re charging for iPad app access indicates that they see iPad users as suckers to be fleeced.

Update: We’ll see how long it lasts, but at this moment, The Daily is at the top of Apple’s top-grossing apps list.

★ Tuesday, 22 March 2011