In May this year Quark acquired UK-based MobileIQ, developer of HTML5-based publishing software Pressrun, allowing the US firm to integrate the technology into its App Studio to enable publishers to transfer their apps across a wider number of mobile devices including Kindle Fire, Android, Iphone and Ipads.
Launching the new version of App Studio, Quark senior product manager Matthias Günther said that the decision to incorporate HTML 5 was made because Quark believed that HTML5-based apps would increase in popularity as demand for mobile devices such as tablets was set "to explode" in 2013.
Users, including content authors, designers and content management teams, can create and upload rich text, static, moving and interactive design through a managed cloud at a much faster and more efficient manner, according to Quark.
In a digital publishing market first, App Studio also allows users to create content using Adobe Indesign software as well as XML, which Günther said was so that larger clients were afforded greater flexibility and could create richer designs with XML automation.
The new App Studio will replace Pressrun, whose current users will be transferred automatically to the new App Studio, while users of the original version of App Studio can either upgrade to the new system or continue to use the original which will be renamed Quark AVE.
By combining HTML5 with "native" smartphone and tablet functionality, the new version of App Studio allows publishers to create more detailed and interactive apps that can be delivered in smaller files so speeding up delivery to their intended mobile device.
Another benefit of apps created through App Studio, according to Günther, include their ability to promote sharing and tagging through social media, their higher quality and easier accessibility due to quicker download times.
The new App Studio is available in four packages:
A single licence for one issue of a publication for one device is the cheapest and costs £139.95; the Pro multi-issue edition starts at £69.95 per month and allows designers to publish multiple issues of one publication across IOS tablet devices and Kindle Fire, although it has a minimum term of one year and only allows 1,000 free issue downloads per month; the premium multi-issue package is an extension of the Pro edition but allows 2,500 issue downloads per month and is compatible with Android devices.
The most comprehensive package is the Enterprise edition, for which price is subject to application specifications. It allows XML automation, bespoke specifications and is compatible with other Quark Enterprise applications.
One aspect of the pricing structure that has been criticised is that each package becomes more expensive according to the amount of issues downloaded, as Quark has implemented a fee of around 60p per download after the free quota is used up. Smaller publications and businesses have claimed that this, along with terms such as the minimum one-year contract, would make App Studio inaccessible for them.
The latest version has been piloted by major app publishers such as Metro, BBC Good Food, My Ford, Top Gear and Stuff magazine.
