Roger Fingas
Apple has posted what appears to be its first-ever "exclusive" for Apple News on iOS, an excerpt of an upcoming memoir by U.S. Senator John McCain, "The Restless Wave," written in tandem with Mark Salter.
The excerpt is marked by a previously unseen "Apple News Exclusive" badge. It includes an uncredited foreword, as well as a link towards the bottom encouraging people to buy the full memoir on iBooks.
McCain argues against the "ideological ghettos" the U.S. has divided into, while simultaneously promoting the idea of getting more involved in politics at the local and federal level as a way of countering "zealots." He also champions specific improvements to the political system, such as an end to gerrymandering, transparent campaign finance, and voting against politicians that promise salvation without being willing to talk and compromise.
Apple News has typically just played host to other news sources, gathering them into a convenient portal for iPhone and iPad owners. A recent report hinted at some of the problems publishers face, such as most traffic being driven by "Spotlight" and "Top Stories," and big-name outlets having to pitch stories via Slack.
Other publishers do have a presence, since the News app gathers material from properly formatted Atom and RSS feeds, but even then Apple's limited data collection makes it hard to attract advertisers, and there's currently no support for paywalled articles.
That could be set to change. Following Apple's Texture buyout, revealed alongside an SXSW appearance by Eddy Cue, a rumor emerged that Apple's goal is to introduce a paid subscription service within the next year.
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