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That doesn’t mean that subscribers who want access to the Times on their iPad or iPhone have to buy access through iTunes, just that they can . And that the Times will comply with Apple’s new rules for any of those sales. The Times says its paywall packages will also work with Google’s Android platform, as well as Research In Motion’s Blackberry. But the Times won’t be selling subscriptions through Android or Blackberry app stores, says spokesperson Eileen Murphy; the only two places to buy access to the paper will be through its site, using its e-commerce engine, and via Apple. As for the packages themselves : As predicted , they hover around the $20-a-month mark, starting at $15 a month for Web + phone access, up to $35 a month for all-you-can-eat on every platform. Crucially, the plan gives free access to all platforms for subscribers who get the Times delivered, in paper and ink format, to their homes.
New York Times Agrees To Apple Terms For Paywall Plans | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD
There’s been so much confusion in the wake of Apple’s new subscription billing policy for apps that Steve Jobs felt the need to issue the proclamation above via his preferred method, a personal email. (It’s his version of the burning bush). While Apple’s new policy clearly states that all subscriptions for purchasing “content, functionality, or services in an app” must go through Apple, Jobs suggests that Apple will make a distinction between “publishing apps” and “SaaS apps” (software as a service). Apps like Salesforce or Evernote, for example, operate under an SaaS subscription, and are available to the same subscribers on the Web and other devices besides the iPhone.
Next Question: What’s A Publishing App?
Launches Subscriptions on the App Store
Publishers who use Apple’s subscription service in their app can also leverage other methods for acquiring digital subscribers outside of the app. For example, publishers can sell digital subscriptions on their web sites, or can choose to provide free access to existing subscribers. Since Apple is not involved in these transactions, there is no revenue sharing or exchange of customer information with Apple. Publishers must provide their own authentication process inside the app for subscribers that have signed up outside of the app. However, Apple does require that if a publisher chooses to sell a digital subscription separately outside of the app, that same subscription offer must be made available, at the same price or less, to customers who wish to subscribe from within the app.
For the past few weeks, rumors have been flying around the web that Apple might begin asking content providers like Netflix or Amazon for 30% of their subscription and content sale revenue in certain situations. As you would expect, this has created quite a firestorm of outrage among users and pundits alike. While the rumor is mostly true (more on that in a moment), it’s important to understand how Apple handles billing and developer revenue sharing on the App Store to provide some context for the current situation.
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In recent weeks, we’ve heard growing concern from magazine and newspaper publishers regarding the challenge of providing content for mobile media while preserving their print franchises. The concern is nothing new, but it’s apparent that content providers are at risk of losing track of their customers like toddlers in a shopping mall. Apple’s iPad success and the imminent release of new application distribution platforms from Google and other software companies threaten another seismic shift for publishers that may have far greater impact on their business models than the growth of free media on the web. Devices like the iPad offer consumers a rich reading experience and offer publishers even more targeted advertising, but the revenue tradeoff as publishers navigate the path from print to this new world is lopsided–and not in a good way.
Apple, Google and the Publishers: Here’s How to Make Subscriptions Work | John Squires | Voices | AllThingsD
Despite Pushback From Pubs, Apple Will Make iTunes Subscription Billing Mandatory
It is a brilliant countermove. Apple is basically saying, “Let the subscriber decide,” knowing full well they will choose iTunes. After all, it’s simply easier for consumers to subscribe to digital publications from one place.
Newspaper publishers spoke out following indications by Apple in many European countries that it may bring in new conditions for both online subscribers to newspapers and also for print subscribers, who have until now enjoyed access to their newspaper on iPad. In future, consumers may only have access to the newspaper of their choice via the iTunes store, where the transaction would be subject to commission. • Apple’s iPad and other tablet devices offer fantastic potential for the development of newspapers in the digital environment. Publishers today want to provide readers with a range of attractive options , including offers combining access to newspapers online and on tablets, or offers for print subscribers that also allow access to the newspaper on digital formats.
European Newspaper Publishers Association
Ongo… where? | Monday Note
Ongo is an ambitious digital kiosk. Launched last week, it was founded last year by Alex Kazim , a high-tech executive who worked at Ebay, Skype and PayPal. Kazim lined up an impressive group of investors: Gannett, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the venture capital firm Elevation Partners whose portfolio includes Facebook, Yelp and Palm (now part of HP). Altogether, Ongo raised $12m, an unusually large amount for such a project (marketing activities will consume a large fraction of the company’s funding).Apple’s upcoming subscription plan is making large publishing companies hysterical. Rightfully so. Some of them built a complete business model for the iPad based on a commercial agreement that is now being revoked. Apple is not only changing the rules, but it does so in the worst possible way — in their usual cold My Way Or The Highway manner.
Apple’s bet on publishing | Monday Note
NEW YORK: Time Inc, Hearst Magazines and Condé Nast are adapting their approaches to tablets such as Apple's iPad, in recognition of the rapidly-changing media landscape. Time Inc has introduced iPad apps for Time, Sports Illustrated and Fortune, and previously conducted biometric research into the response of consumers to ads featured on this channel. However, just as reading habits differ when customers view articles via slate appliances, buyer motivations also demonstrate unique characteristics. "This is not the same kind of impulse sale that's offline at checkout," Steve Sachs, Time Inc's evp, consumer marketing and sales, told the New York Times .
Tablet strategies evolve: News from Warc.com
Magazines Pursue Tablets, but iPad Limits Subscriptions - NYTimes.com
Photo illustration by The New York Times Since Apple introduced the last year, publishers have poured millions of dollars into apps in the hopes that the device could revolutionize the industry by changing the way magazines are read and sold to consumers. But at the same time, the industry is discovering a lesson already learned by music labels and Hollywood studios: Apple may offer new opportunities with its devices, but it exacts a heavy toll.De Standaard Online - Ingrid Lieten roept uitgevers samen
BRUSSEL - Minister van Media Ingrid Lieten (SP.A) roept deze week de Vlaamse uitgevers samen om te overleggen over hun conflict met de Amerikaanse computerreus Apple.The iPad is Great But Remember—It’s Apple’s Way or the Highway - Matt Kinsman - Blogs emedia and Technology @ FolioMag.com
Most digital magazine vendors are offering an iPad app these days and serve as an intermediary between the publisher and Apple. But working with Apple can be frustrating for them as well. “It’s tough because they really want you to play by their rules,” Marcus Grimm, marketing director at NXTbook Media , tells me. “In the process of submitting our app to the Apple Store, we wanted to include Omniture tracking because our publishers have come to expect a lot of data.Most digital magazines consist of a "container" reader app that offers access to individual issues via in-app purchasing. These typically sell for $3-5 per issue. But reading through the reviews on most such apps, it's clear that many readers don't relish ponying up cash for each issue. In some cases the digital version is more expensive than the dead-tree version on newsstands, and in all cases is significantly more expensive than typical subscription rates. Publishers want to offer subscriptions, and have been pressing Apple to allow them to use existing payment systems. However, App Store guidelines don't allow third-party payment systems inside iOS apps.