FT releases iPhone App
Jinfo Blog

23rd July 2009

By Nancy Davis Kho

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On July 14th the FT announced the release of an iPhone application, available for free - at least for now (http://digbig.com/5bacdk). According to FT.com Lead Product Manager Stephen Pinches , 'The FT’s new iPhone app complements our award-winning mobile website, m.ft.com, and is part of our overall goal of making sure our users get the best possible FT experience on any device. We’ve listened to our users who asked for access to their portfolio, easy to use markets data with interactive charts, and quick access to FT articles. Combining the FT.com access model with a great platform for our premium advertisers means we will instantly see a financial return on the investment.' The announcement means that the FT has caught up with Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, and among other sites offering dedicated iPhone apps for financial news, complementing their overall online presence. While those sites - in particular, the Wall Street Journal - charge for online access to content, so far their iPhone apps provide access to the same content at no cost. The variance in channel pricing of the other players is confusing (http://digbig.com/5bacdn), to be sure, but early reviews of the FT.com iPhone application may give a clue as to why they went that route. A review in Wired Magazine by John Abell (http://digbig.com/5bacdm) found that unregistered users can access only 3 articles every thirty days, while registered users can get 7 articles during that same period. Subscribers have full access to the content. And the app carries advertising - the first 30 days it will come exclusively from Siemens. Somewhere between the 'give it all away for free' model used by WSJ, and the 'only three articles for you, and that's just because we have an advertiser to support us' model of the FT.com, there has to be a happy medium. It's great the FT is recognizing the importance of a presence in the smartphone market, and defending the value of its content. But with only 3-7 articles every thirty days, it's barely enough content to get a user hooked on the ease of use via smart phone. Hope to see FT tweak the app such that its users have a chance to see that they can't live without it!

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