As the controversy continues over pretend information and the function that aggregators like Fb have performed in spreading it, Apple is making an acquisition that might assist it lay out a place as a purveyor of trusted data. The iPhone maker is shopping for Texture, digital newsstand that’s often called the “Netflix of journal publishing” that provides readers entry to round 200 magazines for a month-to-month price of $9.99.

“We’re excited Texture will be part of Apple, together with a formidable catalog of magazines from many of the world’s main publishers,” mentioned Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vp of Web Software program & Companies, in an announcement. “We’re dedicated to high quality journalism from trusted sources and permitting magazines to maintain producing fantastically designed and fascinating tales for customers.”

From what we perceive, Texture — previously often called Subsequent Concern — will proceed to function as is with no adjustments — that means that it’s going to proceed to supply apps for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Hearth and Home windows eight and 10. Apple is buying the complete firm, together with workers, and the deal is predicted to shut very quickly.

“I’m thrilled that Subsequent Concern Media, and its award-winning Texture app, are being acquired by Apple,” mentioned John Loughlin, CEO of Subsequent Concern Media / Texture, in an announcement. “The Texture group and its present house owners, Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Rogers Media and KKR, couldn’t be extra happy or excited with this improvement. We couldn’t think about a greater residence or future for the service.”

Apple has made various acquisitions which might be adjoining to the realm of publishing and media that Texture focusses on — they embody Spotify/Pandora competitor Beats for Apple Music, and BookLamp, which we described because the ‘Pandora for books’ once we broke information of that acquisition. Texture, it appears, is the primary that it has made straight within the space of journal publishing.

Monetary phrases of this deal should not being revealed, and Texture has by no means disclosed its valuation.

Earlier than it rebranded in 2015, Texture (then often called Subsequent Concern Media) was a three way partnership between Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Information Corp., Rogers Communications, and Time Inc. The corporate, it seems, has raised no less than $90 million — $40 million from the publishers, and an additional $50 million from KKR and other investors that embody BuzzFeed, Vox Media and Imgur.

Texture, and earlier than it Subsequent Concern, has been round since 2010. It was launched at a time when various different digital newsstands had been hitting the market.

Tapping into the brand new recognition of apps and the idea that these would grow to be the first means that buyers would learn newspapers and magazines, publishers additionally believed that this might be a key means for them to higher monetise their content material, after lacking the boat each on paywalls for on-line content material and reaping massive advantages from on-line advertisements, areas the place massive aggregators like Google largely reaped the rewards.

It’s not clear what number of customers Texture had. An article from 2014 estimated the quantity at 150,000, whereas this story from 2016 famous it was within the “a number of tons of of 1000’s” with 50 % progress anticipated within the coming years. The corporate had additionally struck offers with various third events like Dash to bundle the service with subscriptions as a sweetener for shoppers to go for their service over that of different cellular carriers.

Neither is it clear what Apple intends to do with Texture long term.

One space the place we may see the product find yourself is Apple Information, the place Apple already gives entry to quite a lot of third-party content material. Extra typically, the corporate has been specializing in a bigger premium content material play throughout different mediums, placing numerous funding into music, video and podcasts. Texture fills out the scope of that imaginative and prescient with studying materials.

Apple, in fact, as soon as had a “Newsstand” of its personal — particularly its personal native app that glided by that identify. The service by no means actually took off, and Apple ultimately killed that product and folded it into Apple Information.

One cause that that is completely different is that it’s going to basically convey plenty of magazines right into a single format moderately than providing a market of basically completely different journal and newspaper apps, which appears to have been one of many ache factors of the unique Newsstand from the attitude of customers and writer builders.

(I’ve to say, it was by no means actually clear who mandated that format on the time: it may simply have been Apple and the technical limits of the time when Newsstand first emerged in 2011, though there have been different apps that additionally labored round that. It may simply have been publishers who thought constructing from the bottom up, much like their very own vertically-integrated printing organisations, was the best way forward.)

However in one other sense, this acquisition can be merely desk stakes for firms like Apple. Amazon launched its personal subscription providers final yr, and Google in fact additionally provides a newsstand of types through Google Play, so that is additionally about maintaining and ensuring that it, too, continues to supply what all gadget house owners more and more need and count on.

Apple’s Cue additionally took to the stage at SXSW in Austin right now, whee he talked a bit about Texture’s place in Apple’s information efforts and the corporate’s wider media and content material technique.