After launching Microsoft Garage, the corporation has released another iOS app called News Pro. It has been described as a mix of Apple News and Flipboard. This is another attempt at better gauging mobile platforms through a news app, and a chance to compete against Apple News and Google News.
Microsoft News Pro Can Be Accessed Though Facebook and LinkedIN
The platform, surprisingly, can be accessed by logging in through a Facebook or LinkedIn account. From then, people can go through tags such as finance, technology, and design. The news stories listed are put in through an algorithm. The platform was specially designed to be used on mobile.
Much like Google News, News Pro features top stories and an ‘explore’ search tab. People can look through new topics by industry, by company or organization, by skills or by product. This is a more specialized platform that can help users find specialized stories.
Microsoft Corp Experiments With Mobile News App
The corporation is experimenting with an algorithm that can choose stories of interest according to users’s social and work background. Reports have said that it succeeds in some ways, as it can connect users to things they might be interested in. One tester was appropriately connected to his main interest, but it also linked him to completely random topics.
The interests are inferred from users’ Facebook activity. This may explain the random news stories. Often times, users like Facebook pages randomly or as a favor to a friend. This can give way to random news stories about farming or about nail polish or niche sports.
Will News Pro Be Able to Compete with Apple News and Google News
Microsoft has declared that they will not roll out News Pro to Android or Windows 10. This is very odd. Microsoft might just be using News Pro as an experiment. The number of iPhone users is massive, so it’s a great test ground. The app also has a web platform as well, which can be used from any computer. If this does take off, it might be worth it to compete with Garage Apps, Apple News, and Google News.
