According to the publication TechCrunch Apple is working to launch a new way of consuming news through iTunes. The Cupertino-based company is developing spoken editions, which are short clips, written by a wide variety of editors that, in addition to being able to read them, we will be able to listen to them. According to the publication, Apple is not the one who is directly in charge of transforming the text into audio, but has delegated the SpokenLayaer company, a company that is responsible for creating these types of files for a large number of media such as Forbes, The Huffington Post, Reuters, Smithsonian, Scripts ...
At this point, I don't think anyone will be surprised by the enormous facilities that both iOS and OS X offer to all visually impaired users and this new function is not only intended for this type of audience, but also you want to expand the type of content that the company offers through its store, where we can find music, applications, podcast, books ...
This type of audios offer both opinions of relevant editors such as scientific, business articles… Like some American media already offer through their web pages, logically in the paid versions. Apple puts in the hands of publishers a new way of profitability their content.
Regarding the profitability of them, where Apple does not put its hand as in podcasts, these spoken editions will include audio announcements, to try to compensate for the loss of readers by listeners. The advertising revenue will be shared between the publisher and SpokenLayaer.
One of the next devices that can take advantage of this type of audio is the standalone device that Apple plans to launch in the near future, with which to try to overshadow Amazon's Alexa. This type of audio will allow all users to be informed at all times of the most important news through Siri. Apple is expected to launch these Spoken Editions in October.
