Readability

01 / WHAT IT BUILT

What the company did

Readability was an internet-based 'read it later' service launched in 2009 by Arc90. Starting as a bookmarklet that stripped clutter from webpages and reformatted article text into a clean layout, it grew into a full service with apps, letting users save articles from the web and read them later without the original site's clutter — competing with Instapaper and Pocket. Its distinguishing feature was a subscription model in which a large share of users' monthly fees went to the publishers of the content they read.

03 / EVENT HISTORY

Events in the structured record

1. 2009
   Launched

   Arc90 launched Readability as a 'read it later' bookmarklet and service.

2. 2011
   Apple rejection

   Apple rejected the Readability iOS app because it used a third-party payment system that circumvented Apple's 30% cut; the company argued the cut would eat into money meant for publishers, and publishers also criticized the model.

3. 2016
   Shutdown

   Readability ceased its bookmarklet service in September 2016 and discontinued its API in December 2016; the company gave no reasons for the shutdown.