Steve Dempsey: Apple is now hungry for you to consume its new slices

Big tech has colonized the way online users consume news for a certain Facebook, Google and others were happy to take all the advertising money by controlling the distribution of news through research and news feeds.

But breaking stories and informing the public – the expensive stuff – was not their goal. The result of investing in engineers compared to editors has been the echo platforms that reinforce opinions, foreign interference is difficult to reduce and misinformation can proliferate.

But if there is a technological company that thinks differently this is Apple. And he seems to be turning his attention to the news. More specifically around the mid-term elections of 2018 in the United States.

Now, American deadlines seem pretty confusing to anyone on the other side of the Atlantic. A multitude of offices in all States are to be taken for decision; the whole House of Representatives, one third of the Senate, 36 governorates and more. But whatever the policy, what's called Apple is indicative of its approach to news.

So what is the unique selling point? According to Apple, everything is about trust – especially in the field of politics. "Today, more than ever, people want information from reliable sources – especially when it comes to making voting decisions," said Lauren Kern, editor in chief. Apple News, which certainly speaks a good conversation. "An election is not just a contest, it must spark conversations and spark national debate: by presenting quality information from trusted sources and offering a diverse range of opinions, Apple News intends to a manager responsible for these conversations. and problems. "

So the mid-term section of Apple will offer trusted publisher stories, organized by Apple News editors." Trusted publishers include Fox News. "Other features include a dashboard data from the Washington Post, a weekly Axios briefing, and a Politico analysis that examines the themes and trends that matter to voters.Apple also pointed out that it would serve users' opinions on issues Important Information Sources That They Do not Follow.

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about his company's approach to the Fortune CEO Initiative conference last week in San Francisco. "The news was a little crazy," said Cook. "For Apple News, we felt that the best stories should be selected by humans, to make sure you do not choose the content thatis strictly for the purpose of enraging people. "

This sounds promising. But it also looks like a hit on Facebook. The social network is still fighting on the PR front around the news. Recently, he has enraged publishers by saying that he would rank press articles promoted on politics as advertisements promoting candidates and political problems. Facebook's uneven approach to filter new policies is also worrisome.

While the company takes American midterms seriously – it follows 50 different elections and pays attention to those considered "high risk" – the other countries are not so lucky. Mexico, for instance, has its own elections in July, but according to the Washington Post, until last month fewer than a dozen fact checkers have been tasked with dismantling Mexican disinformation for the 84 million Facebook users of the country.

The Apple piece here is to avoid the political pitfalls and Facebook's public relations. But also to test what a viable subscription company looks like. In March, Apple purchased Texture, a digital subscription service that offers users unlimited access to 200 magazines for a monthly fee. This has led many observers to assume that Apple would incorporate it into its new app to launch its own premium subscription service.

Apple has a form in this regard. He bought Beats for $ 3 billion in 2014 and turned a company with less than one million subscribers into one with 40 million paying users. Could the texture be the new Beats? Smart acquisition that boosts revenue-based revenue? Perhaps. But as an acquisition, Texture lacks the trendy brand of Beats and the news lacks credibility on the street.

The mid-term information initiative is therefore considered a test. There is little chance that what Apple reveals is anything other than a good news aggregator. Given Apple 's approach to privacy protection, this one will not rely on surveillance marketing and, given the involvement of some business professionals. information, it will provide a more balanced picture of the average US time.

But what will probably do best is to offer Apple a better overview of how to rely on its massive user base and its desirable technology to transform users as paying users.

Sunday Indo Business