Category Archives: subscriptions

WSJ.com: Kobo, WSJ Halt Direct Sales on Apple-Device Apps

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"News Corp.'s Wall Street Journal, which has been circumventing Apple's payment system by providing links to its website from inside the iPad app, will soon remove all purchasing options in the app in response to Apple's new rules. People who download the app and want to subscribe will have to either call customer service or visit WSJ.com."

Advertising Age: The New Yorker Decides Facebook ‘Like’ Is Good Enough

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"If, for a limited time, you go to The New Yorker's Facebook page and "like" it, you will gain access to a new essay from [Jonathan] Franzen that is also available to paying print and iPad subscribers. ... Facebook has become vital to publishers. For many, the social network is among the two or three biggest drivers of traffic, often eclipsing even Google searches and making Twitter look like a ghost town in comparison.... The New Yorker's stated goal of generating engagement on its page couldn't be more sensible, especially as the literary brand, which once seemed to regard its website as though it were a misplaced umlaut that made it into print, invests more and more in its digital operation through its iPad app, blogs and podcasts. "

New York Times: Financial Times Digs Gold Out of Data

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"John Ridding, the chief executive of The FT ... said improvements in collecting and mining customer data were a big reason digital sales accounted for 24 percent of The FT’s revenue last year, a big jump from 19 percent a year earlier and a considerably higher percentage than many other publishers can claim. ... Mr. Ridding said The FT was considering joining Google’s new One Pass subscription system, which will take a commission of 10 percent and share customer data with publishers. An iPad without The FT in its digital newsstand might be a losing proposition for both parties. Yet if Apple sticks to its position, Mr. Ridding said, “it would be a shame, not just for us, but for the broader ecosystem that has developed in recent years around these devices. It requires some thought before harm is done."

Gizmodo: Apple’s New Subscription Model Is Evil

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"The fact is, that Apple's new subscriptions—while justifiably wrapped in the smooth, glossy coat of user-friendliness—are a major power grab that inserts the company between basically every content provider and every iPad and iPhone user. You know what? That's fine. That's how ecosystems like this work. Think of all the products and services that exist and feed off of into Twitter and Facebook. Apple should take a cut. Just not an amount so significant it might kill the people who have helped make the iPad experience so great."

WSJ.com: Apple Antitrust Issues Raised by Subscription-Service Terms

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"Apple Inc.'s new subscription service could draw antitrust scrutiny, according to law professors. ... Publishers, for example, might claim that Apple dominates the market for consumer tablet computers and that it has allegedly used that commanding position to restrict competition. Apple, in turn, might define the market to include all digital and print media, and counter that any publisher not happy with Apple's terms is free to still reach its customers through many other print and digital outlets."

Newsonomics: Apple’s “New” Policy: Looking Beyond Digital Circ Dollars to Ads & Data

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Ken Doctor: "there’s little surprising in the Apple announcement. After all, what it said publicly is what it has said privately to news and magazine companies for months. Your old business is still your business, but the new business — when we help you get it — is our business, too. For Apple, that’s a logical position, and the logic is backed up by a big number: 160 million. That’s the approximate number of iTunes account holders, a number 40 times bigger than the largest newspapers in the U.S. and Europe. You want access to our customers, Apple says, pay us."

GigaOm: Apple Gives Media Companies a Carrot, Tied to a Big Stick

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Mathew Ingram: "[Apple's new iOS subscriptions policy] leaves publishers to ask themselves: How much is it worth to let Apple handle your sales for you? ... Market dominance is a powerful thing, however, and so far, Apple has the customers that publishers want to reach. For better or worse, they’ll have to submit to the stick if they want access to that carrot."

Adaptive Path: 5 impacts of Apple’s app store subscription model on experience design

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Brandon Schauer: "But what does the change mean for experiences and experience design? 1. Designing a good trialing experience will be critical; 2. Design services, not apps; 3. Loyalty is the critical metric for improving experiences; 4. Engagement drives loyalty; 5. You can make it all work together."