UPDATE 4: I’ve taken this down, Possibly permanently. My attempt to teach myself something became something other than I’d intended.
Quartz (QZ.com) First Impressions
Today marks the launch of Quartz, an innovative new business magazine website from the folks over at the Atlantic. I have been eagerly awaiting the launch of this site for some time now, as it has promised an intriguing approach to product. They regard the website as tablet and mobile first, desktop second. But reading the interviews over the past few months, I’ve gotten the impression that they barely care about the desktop at all, which is a very bold move.
The website is now available, and they have fully delivered on their promise. In every way, the site feels like a tablet app, and a very well designed one at that. Navigation is simple and optimized for imprecise fingers. We can sort articles by thee methods:
- Top – which presumably is editorially chosen
- Latest
- Popular
All useful. The one that is missing that we are all beginning to become accustomed to is “recommended for you” thanks to Netflix et al. The top navigation I find less useful, but that is true on most news sites. I tend to not box myself into “sections” but rather experience front pages and other recommendation models. One note: the top navigation is the one thing that feels almost antagonistic to the desktop viewer. Click-and-drag is the only way to scroll through it, and it is quite cumbersome.
A few really clever things I like:
- Speed – articles must be loading in the background because this site is FAST. If that is true, it also means that I can read it on the subway to some degree
- Post article experience – when I get to the bottom of the article, I get… the next article! These load dynamically as I near the bottom of the article I am reading, and the URL changes to make sharing easy and correct. Also a clever way to increase page views….
- Disappearing header – After I start reading, the header disappears leaving more room for the text of the article. A delightful experience that shows that Quartz values the user experience more than the need to brand themselves constantly.
- Queue – At least I a reading queue is what the “starred” option on the left refers to… I have to be logged in to use it, and after a few hours, I am still awaiting my confirmation email. But a reading Queue is a fantastic idea. I am totally dependent on third party solutions like Pocket. They also allow saving to Instapaper from the article.
- Obsessions – I love the use of this word. It reminds us that there are people behind these words, and they are not doing jobs, they are pursuing obsessions.
One last, minor complained. Using search on a mobile phone in portrait mode is very unpleasant if I am searching for something that is more than 3 characters in length. In the screen grab below, that tiny blue space on the right with the word “FIRST” below it is where I am expected to type my search query.
I am curious to watch how this site evolves as they learn how real people use it, but this is a fantastic start.
Apple’s Podcasts App, a few thoughts
UPDATE: After using the app over the weekend, I experienced what most of the iTunes reviews state quite clearly: this app crashes frequently. During an hour long podcast (Wait, Wait! Don’t tell me…), it crashed no less than 10 times. The app is worthless, and given that podcasts remain my preferred form of media consumption, I shall not be upgrading to iOS 6 as long as I can help it.
UPDATE 2: Ok, I kind of lied. Going back to iTunes synching for podcasts seemed like too much work, so I found a use for this monstrosity of an app. In iOS 5, I can load the app, let it download the most recent episodes, listen to them in the “Music” app and then delete them in the music app. If I don’t do this, they seem to keep coming back.
Also, the podcast app continually marks podcasts as “unplayed.” I can tell it to “Mark all as played” in Planet Money or any other podcast that I want, and it will! But a few days later, they all creep back.
I currently have 1,220 “Unplayed Episodes.” That’s a heck of a lot of output from the 20 or so podcasts I listen to given the number was 0 a couple days ago.
ORIGINAL POST:
Yesterday, along with iOS 6, Apple released a new version of it’s largely derided Podcasts app.
This app has meant a lot to me personally. Podcasts came about at a time when I not only had found myself in the thrall of public radio, but also while I was working on a masters degree in Music Technology. They seemed like a gift from heaven: an easy way for people to download and consume audio content. It felt like a whole new form had been created, and I had the opportunity to be on the cusp of it.
My friend, David Terry, and I created one of the earlier podcasts, and one of the first, if not the first, to explore the medium’s possibilities as a new art form. While plenty of early adopters listened, it wasn’t until iTunes incorporated podcasts into its software that we were really able to share what we were doing with our friends.
The symbolism of Apple continuing to develop the podcast experience, from which they make no money, still means a lot to me, as does the fact that the app has chosen to highlight the brilliant 99% Invisible, by my former friend and colleague Roman Mars.
However, this marks the fourth release of the app, and it’s app store rating has sunk from 2 stars to a dismal 1.5 stars. Though this is by far the best release to date, I believe this is because many sad iOS 6 upgraders have found that they are being forced to use the app for Podcasts, as opposed to continuing to use the Music app. I cannot confirm this myself, as I have yet to upgrade because of the Maps issues, which are well documented elsewhere.
For my own part, I actually think Apple is finally starting to get this app right. It allows me to download new podcasts automatically to my phone, without synching with my computer or laboriously downloading one by one as used to be the case. The skip forward and back are well appreciated features as well.
Most of the iTunes complaints are that the app crashes or simply doesn’t play audio. I, fortunately, have not had that problem, but it does fall short in a number of ways.
1. There are no default settings. I want to set almost every podcast so that it downloads the most recent episode, and deletes ones I’ve listened to. And indeed, I have to go through, one by one, and make that the setting for each. Kind of a pain for 20+ podcasts.
2. It syncs with iCloud! Wow! Ok. Now what exactly does that mean… seriously, there is no explanation, and no obvious benefit.
3. Playlists – a minor point, but I’d like to have the option to assemble playlists, especially for long drives.
4. Once I delete an episode it is gone. Completely gone. I can’t get it back no matter what I do. This was a disaster this afternoon for me. The Diane Rehm show accidentally uploaded an episode from a few weeks ago, rather than the one from this morning. My Podcasts app downloaded it. I, naturally, deleted it. A few hours later, I checked to see if the show had corrected the error. They had, but I could not download it via the Podcasts app. It was absolutely inaccessible from the Library or the catalogue. I had to go to my iTunes app, search for the show, download the episode and listen to it in the Music app. If I’d upgraded to iOS6, this might have not been possible. I consider myself very lucky.
If it is true that this app is mandatory for iOS 6, that is a major error on Apple’s part. 5 minutes of use will make it clear that it still remains confusing and clunky and not ready for anyone but geeky early adopters. But I do appreciate that, despite no profit motive, Apple is still at least making an attempt to help improve the podcast experience.