Apple has announced a new app for iOS 9 called Apple News that looks to merge an RSS reader with article discovery in an attempt to highlight cool features and articles to read.

Replacing the Apple Newsstand app, the new Apple News app will be released later this year as part of iOS 9 and promises to combine the visually rich layout of a magazine with the immediacy and customisation of digital media.

It works by pulling relevant stories based on your specific interests that can be easily shared or saved for later.

By analysing what you read, it can then recommend more content around that subject.

Where Apple hopes to be different to Flipboard and other similar apps is the way it lets publishers present the content on the screen.

Called the Apple News Format, it is a new digital publishing format that allows publishers to create engaging layouts that feature pictures, graphics, video, and interactive elements that look vastly different from the sometimes cluttered experience of the web.

Readers can see publisher channels and topics they’re following in Favourites, and to discover new content, an area called Explore makes suggestions based on what you’ve already read claims Apple.

"The more you read, the more personalised the News app becomes, refining the selection of stories delivered to your iPhone or iPad."

Although Apple has announced deals with some big publishers like Condé Nast, ESPN, The New York Times, Hearst, Time Inc., CNN and Bloomberg it is opening up the platform for everyone as long as they go through an approval process.

Apple News Publishers

Publishers interested in signing up can visit www.icloud.com/newspublisher with additional publishing tools available later this year say Apple.

Keen to make it worthwhile for publishers Apple has confirmed that they will be able to make money from advertising shown within the articles: a similar proposition to Facebook's approach to news stories launched last month.

"Monetisation of Apple News Format content is made simple with iAd, Apple’s advertising platform," explains Apple. Publishers will keep 100 per cent of the revenue from the ads they sell, and 70 per cent when iAd sells ads for them instead. Apple hasn't detailed whether publishers will be able to charge for content other than via adverts.

The big test however will be whether not only publishers get on board, but whether iPhone and iPad owners do too.

The new Apple News app will come pre-installed as part of iOS 9.