niiu is a customizable news app for the iPad developed by the niiu publishing GmbH. According to their personal interests readers assemble news from various media to arrange them into a streamline platform. Therefore, the content of about 30 different titles, which niiu has license agreements with, is available - including newspapers, magazines, journals, and society news. Such as Hamburger Abendblatt, Berliner Morgenpost, BZ, Welt, Bild, Manager Magazin and Tagesspiegel. One possible niiu combination could consist of the regional part of BZ, the sports section of Bild, politics pages of Welt, the business part of Manager Magazin and celebrity news of Grazia or OK. It is up to the reader to decide which information he chooses out of which media. The searching and filtering are done by the app.
Contents
Niiu there will never be
Development
Originally niiu was developed in 2009 as a print version with 24 pages (2 pages of online content, 20 newspaper pages, 2 full advertisement pages) that was individually composed by every customer out of 18 different newspapers and more than 600 different online sources. It had been called "a revolutionizing concept". Critics said that the target group prefer online media to print because it is faster and even more adaptable to individual needs. In 2011 niiu had been converted for mobile devices due to organizational complexities in 2011. Since 2012 the development of the digital version has been advanced, followed by the release of the current digital iOS version in 2013. With the first update in August 2013, the number of selectable themes was increased and their offline access enabled. All items can be shared on Facebook, Twitter and via e-mail. In September 2013, the developers focused on niiu‘s update to the iOS 7 operating system.
The number of content partners will be constantly extended. So far, the app is available in 28 countries in German language.
Background
niiu was developed by the niiu publishing GmbH in Berlin. The two founders, Wanja S. Oberhof and Hendrik Tiedemann, have known each other since youth and implemented their idea of the niiu print newspaper at University. In April 2013, the niiu publishing GmbH brought their former newspaper product as a digital app on the market. Since April 2, 2013 niiu has been available for download in the App Store.
In August 2013, the founders received a second financing round of their former investors.