Apple is going to be launching a new service called iTunes Spoken Editions, which will read the news to you. Publishers taking part in the new initiative will be Wired, Time, Mic, Forbes and Playboy.
Apple is launching this platform in October and they are heavily borrowing elements from Amazon Alexa and Audible Channels. The hot new segment in publishing is being able to have mainstream news publications read aloud, while you are commuting or doing household chores. Not everyone has 12 hours to devote to an audiobook or an hour for a podcast, but most people can devote the time for a really quick short-form news item.
It is important to note that all of the news items and articles will not be read aloud by journalists or narrators. Instead, they will have a text-to-speech engine, similar to Alexa. Speaking of Alexa, Apple is rumored to be working on their competitor and Spoken Words might be a big selling point.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
