Despite facing innumerable rumours and speculation about possible buy-outs, releasing a free news magazine for the iPad, Yahoo! is continuing its slow but steady attempt to re-summit the internet business.
Speaking at an event to announce new offerings including the magazine, which is called Livestand, chief product officer for the former search giant Blake Irving said, “With all the swirl out there, the impression is that it must be defocusing [for Yahoo!],” but stressed that, “there is little confusion”.
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Since the Yahoo! board fired its colourful CEO Carol Bartz, who is yet to be replaced, the company has been going through a period of serious flux.
The iPad magazine, Yahoo! — which still describes itself as a “premier digital media company,” — says will be a “personalised living magazine”. Supplementing original Yahoo! content with content from “leading third-party publishers” Yahoo! hopes to “create a visually stunning and deeply personalised digital experience tailored to each people’s interests and passions”.
Like other iPad newspapers and magazines, Livestand will use video, rich pictures, and text. One of the new venture’s primary competitors will be the popular iPad social magazine, Flipboard.
Along with the magazine a slew of other products were released at Product Runway, the event where the magazine was released.
Product Runway, as Yahoo! billed it, gives people “beautifully designed, personalised products” giving them “new ways to discover, engage, and share digital experiences”.
Irving said of the event’s offerings, “Today’s product launches reaffirm our commitment to personalise experiences across devices. By building these products on top of our powerful platforms with beautiful interactive design, we are getting closer to a truly ‘personal web’ for every Yahoo! customer”.
