Full Instapaper API now available

http://blog.instapaper.com/post/3208433429

by ggordan • 15 years ago

154 33 15 years ago

blog.instapaper.com

BSeward• 15 years ago

API access for subscribers only is a really interesting idea. I'm curious how it will play out. Are there examples of other apps using a similar scheme?

samstokes• 15 years ago

The Spotify API has the same restriction.

makeramen• 15 years ago

Simplenote (YC 10) uses a similar throttled API http://simplenoteapp.com/premium/

bruceboughton• 15 years ago

Remember the Milk

hartror• 15 years ago

Which I pay for for the exact reason Instapaper users will pay a subscription for their service.

albemuth• 15 years ago

I clicked on this thinking it was Instagram, I'm still waiting to hear back on the dev API registration :(

hung• 15 years ago

This is a very interesting compromise. I wonder if it will have the side effect of confusing users who are not subscribed (and may not even realize what "subscription" means). It could backfire especially if a third party paid app is released. "What do you mean I have to pay for a subscription? I paid for the app!"

Still, a smart move for keeping Instapaper profitable (or at least to keep the API from eating at Instapaper's profits).

true_religion2• 15 years ago

They should have an API for creating subscription accounts with an already registered credit card.

That way 3rd party apps can create new keys and issue them to their users transparently.

glasner• 15 years ago

I think the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act [1] made this impossible in the US. Instapaper would be a third party seller and would be bound by new data pass rules:

(2) the post-transaction third party seller has received the express informed consent for the charge from the consumer whose credit card, debit card, bank account, or other financial account will be charged by--

(A) obtaining from the consumer-- (i) the full account number of the account to be charged; and (ii) the consumer's name and address and a means to contact the consumer;

and

(B) requiring the consumer to perform an additional affirmative action, such as clicking on a confirmation button or checking a box that indicates the consumer's consent to be charged the amount disclosed

[1] http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S3386:

dreyfiz• 15 years ago

The fact that cheapskates will complain is no reason not to do it.

statictype3• 15 years ago

Not understanding terms of service != cheapskates

It's very reasonable for a person to expect that once he paid for the app, he would be able to use it without having a separate subscription paid to a different company.

I'm interested in seeing how these apps clarify this point to users.

pixelcort2• 15 years ago

Yay! We can now finally have an offline Mac client.

larrywright• 15 years ago

I've always hoped Marco would do this on his own, but I can't fault him for focusing his time where he does.

nigelsampson• 15 years ago

Damn, literally as I read this article my mind was working on how quickly I could build a Windows Phone 7 app to take advantage of this.

Turns out not quick enough. I think this is the best way to approach an API for non VC backed start ups.

statictype3• 15 years ago

I like the option he chose.

This has the effect that non-iPhone users who want an instapaper client on their phone will have to have a subscription and possibly pay for the mobile app.

In a sense, having an iPhone is akin to having a free subscription (at least for now)

maguay3• 15 years ago

Yes, I think that's the only problem ... Now Instapaper iOS users will be worried that they will have to pay for a subscription in the future.

tel2• 15 years ago

I don't think I'm in the minority in saying that being charged for Instapaper would actually be, in some ways, a relief. It transformed how I read online things, brought whole new levels of usability to my iDevices, and while if Marco ever went insane and shut it down I'm sure there would be a million competitors to fill the void.

But the second he wants me to pony up, I'm in.

petercooper• 15 years ago

I wonder how much of this was sped up due to Readability's rapid march into Instapaper's territory (e.g. https://www.readability.com/publishers/api/)

smbwrs• 15 years ago

Considering the fact that Marco is an advisor, and the upcoming Readability iOS app is "powered by Instapaper", I'd assume not much.

cobralibre• 15 years ago

Readability may be marching into Instapaper's territory, but by all reports, Marco is welcoming them with open arms and a bouquet of flowers:

http://www.marco.org/3044068415

itsnotvalid2• 15 years ago

The thing is that if I am using Readability already I wouldn't subscribe to Instapaper. Of course, readability may have paid back $1 from your $5 to Instapaper if you make the accounts from both to be synchronized.

tomjen3• 15 years ago

I was quite happy when I saw this, as I have been using a different unofficial client to use my Instapaper account on my Android app.

Unfortunately one of it's nicest features is the ability to sync and download it's content in the background. I am very disappointed to see that the api tos especially for forbid this.

Combine this with the ability of sites to opt out of Instapaper and the prohibitation against automatically adding things to the user account from an rss feed and my use for Instapaper has pretty much disappeared.

I understand the need for Marco to make money on this, and I hope you make so much money of this that you can swim in it, but frankly the way to do this is not to deliver a crippled service - it's to charge what you are worth, which is far more than one dollar.

The only reason to charge one dollar is to make it to the top of the iphone sales charts. It's not really a viable strategy anywhere else.

pixelcort2• 15 years ago

Looking at the terms of use, I couldn't find any prohibiting downloading its content for offline use. As I understand it, there appear to be two semi-related rules:

* Don't make multiple simultaneous API calls.

* Each thing added must be a result of a specific user action. I'm not sure whether this applies to things retrieved from the API.

Also, the dollar per month is for the subscription service, not the purchase of the Instapaper iOS app. Current Instapaper for iOS app users do not need the subscription service, but users who use apps that use this new API will.

Hagelin• 15 years ago

From the Terms of Use:

Apps may not use users’ Instapaper data or other personal data in any way that a reasonable person would likely deem “creepy” or otherwise unacceptable. Instapaper reserves the right to decide whether an app’s usage of users’ data is creepy.

ludwigvan• 15 years ago

I believe it's related to this article by Gruber: Creep Executive Officer

http://daringfireball.net/2010/08/creep_executive_officer

Full Instapaper API now available

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