One week with Apple News+

The Verge:

I will say that for $10 a month, News Plus is the most comprehensive magazine subscription service on the market. (Scribd is a very solid alternative for non-iOS users.)

If you’re thinking about subscribing, that — and only that — is what you should be focused on: getting a service designed mostly for magazines.

I have to agree here. If you are into magazines, Apple News+ is a tremendous value.

But as a news source? Early days still.

Don’t get me wrong. I do think there’s a lot of high-value, news-related content on the site. But the user interface makes getting to those stories a challenge.

Part of the issue is the primitive search features. And the like/dislike/block functionality being hidden in the kitchen junk drawer that the share icon has become. [UPDATE: Swipe right to dislike a story. Not obvious to me, given the multiple columns, but it’s there. And also in the junk drawer.]

My sense, also, is that the News+ interface is constrained by what cross-platform features are currently supported by Marzipan.

Add in the complexities of Apple News+ being one step removed from the news cycles. My sense is that breaking news has to wait to make an appearance until the next sync cycle between Apple News and the news origin.

As I said, it’s early days still. If you are into magazines, the value is clear. If you are looking for breaking news, or want a highly tunable experience, stay tuned.