Quark has announced a major change in its App Studio for setting up tablet based publications based on the standard HTML5 language.
In future it will be based on based on PressRun, an existing cloud based system, that allows relatively easy creation of publications that can run on Apple iOS devices, plus Android, Kindle and others. No knowledge of HTML5 or other coding is needed.
In May this year Quark acquired MobileIQ, the developer of PressRun. The PressRun name will be retired, but the new App Studio will be in effect the same thing but now available under the Quark brand. Current users of PressRun will be able to transfer directly to the new App Studio. Users of the original App Studio can adopt the new system, but also have the option of continuing with the original, which is being renamed Quark AVE.
Some configurations of the new App Studio allow input from Adobe InDesign, the main rival to QuarkXPress in professional layout markets.
According to Quark the advantages are:
* Go beyond static PDFs.
* Feature searchable, fully selectable text
* Promote sharing, tagging, bookmarking, and other social media interactions.
* Deliver small file sizes for quick download (titles created with App Studio are typically one quarter the size of apps created with alternative solutions).
* Reach iPhone, iPad, Android, and Kindle Fire now.
* Deploy quickly to new devices as they are released.
* Utilise QuarkXPress or InDesign for content creation and larger organisations can combine rich design with XML automation.
* Keep content in an open standard that does not lock customers into proprietary formats.
The new App Studio will be compatible with the forthcoming QuarkXPress 9.5 upgrade. There are four price levels: Single (for one publication, one issue, on one device), for £139.95; Pro Multi-Issue 9one publication, unlimited issues, for iOS and Kindle Fire, for a subscription of £69.95 per month; Premium Multi-Issue, which integrates to subscription databases and can additionally output for Android devices, for £349 per month; and Enterprise, which allows XML automation, custom features and integration with Quark Enterprise solutions. The price for this is on application.
The different levels also include variable numbers of ‘free’ downloads, after which Quark imposes a charge per download of $0.99 (about 60p). These range from 500 to 2500 downloads per month, none of which seem particularly high, especially for mass market titles. This also lessens the appeal for trade titles which are often sent free to readers in their printed formats.
There is apparently no way to preview a title on a tablet without first paying for at least one of the plans. Adobe, by contrast, allows free local viewing on an iPad using its rival system.
Contact: www.quark.com or www.appstudio.net
