Apple News reportedly has a glitch that has seen Apple underestimating how many people have been using it.
It’s been a little over six months since Apple News launched alongside iOS 9, and just over two months since it hit the UK.
Since its initial launch, many have wondered how this Flipboard-like news aggregator has been performing. That has now been complicated by the confirmation that the figures Apple has been sharing with its media partners have been wrong up to now.
“We’re in the process of fixing that now, but our numbers are lower than reality,” Apple’s Eddy Cue told The Wall Street Journal. “We don’t know what the right number is.”
No details were provided on the source or nature of the glitch.
Despite this underestimation, it seems as if Apple News might still be a bit of a disappointment to Apple’s media partners. The report highlights comments made by Julie Hansen, president of Business Insider, who said that Apple News traffic “has been modest relative to the enormous install base of iOS devices.”
Meanwhile, Bob Cohn of The Atlantic said that the size of audience Apple News can actually attract was “still an open question.”
Of course, the fact that Apple News is still only available in three countries – the US, UK, and Australia – must surely be limiting the news app’s potential at this point.
Cue did reveal that 40 million people had used Apple News to date, but this doesn’t provide an accurate picture of regular users.
Next, take a look at what iOS 9 has to offer:
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.