Quartz is the first publication in the business category designed to be consumed largely via tablets, smartphones and the web, competing against more established entities like The Economist, Bloomberg Businessweek and The Financial Times. Unlike those entities, however, Quartz will be available for free on all platforms. It is scheduled to launch later this year.
Wall Street Journal alum Kevin J. Delaney has been named editor-in-chief of the new publication, which will be headquartered in Atlantic Media's new offices in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. On the web, Quartz will reside at qz.com, and on Twitter at @quartznews. (One downside of launching a new business entity in 2012: Your first choice domain name and Twitter handle are likely already reserved.)
Although Quartz will have a presence on the web and on social networks, Delaney says its primary focus will be on tablets and mobile platforms. "The reason is very simple: the readership on those devices is enormous and growing, especially among our target audience," he says. "We will have a desktop website, but we're very deliberately focused on how to best deliver global business news to global business leaders on mobile and tablet devices."
Delaney adds that he and his team have not yet determined whether they will launch a single web app or native apps for iOS and Android devices. Perhaps, he said, they will launch all three.
The focus on mobile and tablet devices marks a shift in the web-focused digital strategy Atlantic Media has embraced over the past few years with the launch of TheAtlanticWire.com in 2009 and TheAtlanticCities.com in 2011. It's also more ambitious than both of those launches. The Atlantic Cities launched with a full-time staff of two. Quartz plans to hire 25 before its launch.
Three of those hires have already been announced: Publisher Chris Batty, former head of ad sales at Gawker Media; Product Engineering Director Michael Donohoe, formerly of RealNetworks and The New York Times; and Senior Editor Zach Seward, former social media editor at The Wall Street Journal.