Readability, developers of a popular web-based tool to organize online articles and optimize them for a more comfortable reading experience, has announced that they’ll be launching new free iOS app, posing a potential challenge to apps like Instapaper (and challenging the new Reader feature in iOS 5).
Readability was involved in a dispute with Apple earlier this year over the company’s subscription and in-app purchasing rules, forcing the company to either give up 30% of their revenue to Apple or giving up on a native iOS app. Readability responded by creating a full-featured HTML 5 app, including offline access.
Now, months later, things have changed for Readability. The company has announced major changes to its platform, including a free option alongside an optional premium subscription that will support publishers and provide extra features and enhancements.
It seems like Readability has discovered that more people will take a look at their app if they can try it free – and by making their app free, they also increase their chances of having the app approved by Apple. Users that become hooked on the service will be able to make their experience even better by paying into the system. It’s a beautiful concept, really.
According to Readability, their new iOS app has already been submitted to Apple, and is awaiting approval. It’s likely that the app will be approved this time around, and the premium option is expected to work via in-app purchase.
Readability is also continuing to refine and improve their HTML 5 web app, as well as their feature set, and has also released their platform to developers to add Readability functionality to their own apps.
The service is already supported across a number of desktop and mobile apps using the company’s official API, as well as through a Google Chrome extension, and the company is also continuing to refine and improve their HTML 5 web app, as well as their feature set.
Readability’s official website currently lists the iOS app as “coming soon.”