Personalized iPad magazine discovery app Zite introduced a new update, humorously named Sybil, which allows users to switch between multiple profiles (or personalities, if you’d prefer). Aside from satisfying your alter-ego, it’s now easier to share an iPad with other people, since they’ll be able to create their very own profiles. This update arrived after Zite surveyed 335 iPad users, discovering that 30% shared their device with one or more people.
To use the new Sybil feature, go to the first page of Top Stories, and jump over to the Profile bar in the upper-left hand corner called “Temporary.”
Our writer Dan Rowinski was curious about how Zite instituted the new feature without submitting an update through the Apple Store. Normally, most updates need to go through Apple as developers resubmit an apps binary for approval. Zite’s CTO Mike Klaas responded:
“A portion of our UI is dynamically-generated on our servers (like the article/magazine content), so that gives us a certain amount of flexibility in deploying features. For big updates, we still rely on the app store submission.”
Despite being acquired by major media company CNN this past August, Zite is continuing to innovate and maintain their own brand. With the new Sybil update, Zite will be able to do what it does best through multiple profiles.
