And also media commentators and IT journo’s I’m looking at you as well.  Today saw Fairfax launch a new Ipad App.  Now I must say firstly I haven’t seen the App..  Why because I don’t have an ipad nor an iphone nor any Apple computer. I am a very happy Win7 and Android user.

So, of course I can’t comment on the actual app, but I’m not going to.  Sure, they say an Android version is coming, but if the ABC pull their finger out and finally get a decent Android app, I will most probably end up just using that.

Why, because I care about content, not if something has nice page transitions or ads that are not that obtrusive when you scroll between stories.

Sure, I expect that Fairfax will write many stories about how apps are the future and their app is the best. However, and this is the big point that people haven’t commented on, what about the content.

With lots of criticism about Fairfax, and even as I have also blogged about News ltd about the lack of quality journalism, nay even churnalism what is in it for the reader.  Look at the front page of The Age or SMH on any given day and tell me that is quality journalism.

This is the fail for me.  Sure it is shiny, sure it uses the shiny platform, but what changed.  The content is sourced from what is a company, like the old man in Holy Grail saying ” But I’m not dead yet”.

And all this before the mysterious “freemium” model comes into play.  Without new engaging content, pulling a website that sources much of its content wire services where is the content.

When I see people fawning over the new App, saying “wow, it has really nice video over the paper”, well of course it does.  But when that video is for example just content from the ABC’s Four Corners why do I care about Fairfax.

Sorry, but whilst shiny maybe important to some, I prefer my content to have a touch of substance.