Have an iPad? You can now read your Charlotte Observer as a tablet edition by downloading our new app. It’s available online at Apple's app store.
We've designed this app to take advantage of iPad features that have made it the nation’s most popular tablet. Navigation is made easier with the touch or swipe of the screen. Full-color photos are bigger, more vibrant. And since the portability of the tablet often leads to more leisurely reading, we’ve added more magazine-length material.
Unlike a magazine, however, our tablet edition updates content throughout the day. So, regardless of when or where you choose to read, the news will be fresh. You can also customize your home page to have it display your favorite sections.
To find this app, go online to the Apple store, select the category for iPad apps and simply search for "Charlotte Observer." That search will turn up two apps for iPad. Choose the app that depicts an iPad screen. (The other, which has the image of a printed newspaper, is for our e-Edition, explained below).
Our tablet edition joins four other versions of The Observer already popular with readers:
The printed newspaper is still our most popular format, with more than 800,000 readers a week. Most copies also include one of nine Observer community newspapers.
Our website, CharlotteObserver.com , draws 2.7 million readers and 44 million page views a month.
Our e-edition is a digital replica of the printed Observer, accessible on a computer, phone or iPad. It is perfect for the reader who prefers the design of a printed newspaper. It also allows the reader to electronically search the paper and get back issues.
The smartphone version of the Observer includes special apps for iPhone and Android.
Why launch yet another format? Because our readers have been very busy buying tablets, and many want to use them to read the news.
At least one out of every four American adults now owns a tablet, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. Among people with college degrees, it’s one out of three. And people who use tablets are especially interested in keeping up with the news.
Pew found that more than a third of tablet owners use them to read news daily. That activity was more popular than social networking, gaming and reading books. What’s more, 30 percent of tablet news users spend more time getting news than they did before.
So, tablets join the various formats that our readers will rely on. And we intend to be where our readers need us. Let us know how this app is working for you.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
New Observer iPad app introduces a tablet edition
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12 comments:
Does it repeat the same story several times in a row and then run the same stories day after day like the current mobile app does? Such a professionally designed app that is so much worth an annual fee.
What about those of us with Kindle Fire's? The app for that tablet has not received the same amount of attention and does not do a good job of replicating the printed version. I'm seriously considering dropping my digital subscription because I'm not getting my money's worth.
Requires IOS 6. Original iPad(1) owners will not be able to run the new app. :(
There's also no Commodore 64 version.
Hi RB225. You should not be seeing old stories on your phone until you scroll deep into that list of headlines (and you will only see them then because we keep stories in the list for readers who need to catch up on the previous day's news). If you are seeing old stories near the top of the list, you need to refresh the screen. Our app, same as most news apps, often requires you to "clear your cache" of content previously downloaded. I find this necessary on virtually all news web sites. Now, onto a separate issue that you touch on. When you see stories repeat, that is an outcome tied to our mobile vendor's technology. We are working to overcome that. In the meantime, here is a simple rule to follow. Read the first story and skip repeats. The first story is always the most up-to-date version. Not perfect, I realize, but again I notice this issue on many reputable news web sites that update frequently, as we do. Eventually, technology will catch up and help us eliminate this annoying issue. Thanks.
Anonymous 10:14 p.m., you are correct. Unfortunately, this is a trend for computers, phones and tablets. The newest apps are designed to take advantage of the newest technology. As a result, devices that are only two or three generations old often can not adapt to them. I got a taste of this over the holidays. I have an iPhone 4. I purchased wireless speakers that are designed to pick up the iPhone's audio. But after setting up the speakers, I discovered they won't connect with iPhone 4. I hear they are great for iPhone 5!
Moving in the right direction. It would be nice if it could be added to the Newstand.
Does it allow you to read the newspaper while offline? I fly a lot and having it available offline to read on the plane would be great.
Scott, yes, the e-Edition of The Observer (a replica of the printed newspaper) can be downloaded to an iPad and read offline. I've read it many times on the plane, as well as in other settings without wi-fi. And as you travel, of course, you can download the Observer anywhere you have internet access. I was in Dallas recently and had that day's Charlotte Observer in my hands in the 30 seconds it took to download. It's also how you can take the Observer with you on vacation. If you love reading the newspaper, it's an outstanding new advantage. To get the app, just follow the instructions above in the blog.
Hi Scott Pearl,
It's hard for me to offer you advice on a better experience for Kindle without knowing which of two ways you can access the Observer with that device. But if you call me at 704-358-5001, I'll be happy to get you in touch with tech advice. The sense of people here is that we could help you get a better replica. Thanks.
Finally!!! I was an avid reader of The Daily before Newscorp dropped it due to its poor financial model.
Curious that I didn't have to login. How does it know whether I am a digital subscriber?
Anonymous 3:24 p.m. We've found that readers spend a lot more time per visit with a tablet than with a web site. So, to give visitors a taste of this tablet experience, we increased the number of pages that can be viewed before the user is asked to log in. Stay at it and you should eventually be invited to do so.
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