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Apple Squashing iPad Magazine Subscription Plans

binarymelon said:
To be honest I'm not sure why Apple has allowed any of this in the past. Many app publishers are getting around Apple's cut for pay apps by charging subscription fees. Remember the Milk is charging $25/year to use their "free" iPhone app.
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And there's the rub. RTM and others like are a separate service that also happen to have an iPhone app. Should Apple get a cut of your entire service now simply because you offer a free iPhone app? If I already have an SI subscription to the print magazine and they want to include a 'free' iPad subscription as part of the deal should Apple get a part of that?

I think no in both cases, but Apple seems to think yes. They have made themselves the only ones able to put apps on the iPhone and want to collect gatekeeper tolls. I don't like the sound of that and am hoping the ruling from Monday is only the first step towards setting up a legitimate alternative app store.
 
Why don't they just use in-app purchases and alert the user when there is a new issue? Seems pretty easy to me. The only difference is those who don't want the new issue won't automatically be buying it.

Although if they stopped trying to screw people and lowered the cost to $1-2. People would probably be more eager to buy.
 
Its starting to get concerning how closed off Apple is these days... especially after the whole Adobe Flash thing. I'm aware Steve said that Apple uses closed systems, but that's seeming to be a big understatement. Of course Apple should get money from subscriptions, but its still worrying to me.
 
salterra said:
The article said as much. Sure they can offer the app for free and provide subscription downloads from their own web infrastructure and that would probably be allowed. Using the app to download weekly issues from Apples infrastructure without any fees to Apple is abbusing the system. You are welcome to provide the infrastructure if you think it should be hosted for free.
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The article states:
The Article said:
Last month, the publisher was set to launch a subscription version of its Sports Illustrated iPad app, where consumers would download the magazines via Apple’s iTunes, but would pay Time Inc. directly.
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  1. That doesn't state that there would be no sort of compensation for the use of iTunes' infrastructure.
  2. If Apple cared, they could allow an external host for magazine downloads (My guess would be that SI would just use Akamai like Apple anyways). Podcasts appear in iTunes, but are hosted on non-Apple servers (in most cases, my friend used to use his paid Mac.com hosting)
 
Stella said:
No. Digital distribution is very different: you can avoid the middle man. Just like software - i.e., shareware.

Use iTunes to distribute the app and use your own pay system for subscriptions and thus by passing the middleman , i.e., Apple.

Trouble is, Apple wants to handle everything.
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You're right... you can do it all on your own. But then you have to step up your efforts to market and sell your stuff - which by the way, is what I do now for a living and have done for 20 years in the software industry.

Let's face it... iTunes is a benefit not a detriment. If I publish in iTunes I now have 100% access to all target customers. This is worth it's weight in gold.

I wish my industry had such a easy distribution channel as well organized and managed as iTunes... I'd gladly given them their 30%.... it would save me money.
 
budfoot said:
Very easy solution. Sell it as a subscription through Kindle... and then download it to the Kindle App. Viola.
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I love violas!

iqCFz.jpg
 
markdj said:
This is all about control. Apple wants control and the magazine publishers want control. But there is an alternative: publish your magazine through Zinio! Zinio is available for iPad, iPhone and any web browser. There you can have both single issues and subscriptions. I already subscribe to BusinessWeek, The Economist, and MacWorld through Zinio. Magazines don't have to have their own app. Zinio also has National Geographic, Motor Trend and many others!
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++ I have a few subscriptions too. Works great!
 
It could also be that Apple won't have control of the content that the subscription may have....
 
muchadoaboutnot said:
The article states:


  1. That doesn't state that there would be no sort of compensation for the use of iTunes' infrastructure.
  2. If Apple cared, they could allow an external host for magazine downloads (My guess would be that SI would just use Akamai like Apple anyways). Podcasts appear in iTunes, but are hosted on non-Apple servers (in most cases, my friend used to use his paid Mac.com hosting)
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Perhaps you're right but you proved a good point. No one here knows the facts yet are jumping on Apple. Everyone gets into frenzy about something to know nothing about. Just making guesses and pointing fingers.
 
Zinio, 'nough said

This is retarded, there is already an app in the app store I use that does this.

Zinio.
 
mdude85 said:
Yeah, but Apple doesn't actually make the iPad edition, they just distribute it.

I think it will be interesting to see what happens when Apple is forced to lift some of its restrictions on 3rd party apps.
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And how would Apple be forced to lift "some restrictions"? Are you referring to the DMCA jailbreaking announcement? It does no such thing. Get some remedial reading comprehension schooling.:confused:
 
Apple will introduce recurring billing into iTunes quite soon I think. This will allow customers to manage these subscriptions from one place, and allow for easy cancelling. In essence, preventing fraudulent activity.

They'll probably get a cut, yes, but remember; hosting the App Store servers isn't free for Apple either.
 
muchadoaboutnot said:
Ah, a very good point. Apple may want to prevent companies from pushing out content under a subscription that offends their sensibilities/App store policies (although the Wall Street Journal or other apps could do the same so it's still unusual).
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Exactly, the swimsuit edition probably violates Apple's no-pornography censorship policy. Afterall, every other swimsuit app was pulled (other than Playboy of course ;))
 
atomicbatteries said:
I'll tell you one thing I am sick and tired of paying $5.00 an issue for SI or Time and apple is just being ridicules. they should pull the magazines from itunes cause people are fed up with the lack of an annual subscription.

What is wrong with you all, just greedy little pigs!
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I was sick of it, too. That's why I haven't bought a magazine, any sort of news magazine, for a decade. The internet is faster and has more sources to look at. Plus, many of the companies have online presence, giving info for free anyway.

JPark said:
It's a little suspicious considering the ties Apple has to Disney and Disney to ESPN. Sports Illustrated is likely ESPN's biggest competitor.
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As a sports fan who wants to watch various sports on occasion, I'm pretty sure ESPN considers sports fans to be their biggest enemy.
 
This shouldn't be an issue...

Sell the app for what a yearly print subscription would cost and then send updates... WTF?
 
Voytech said:
Ok, so why can't SI have a "reader" app and then sell each issue as a in-app purchase?
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I would be willing to bet that Time and any other magazine uses your info/demographics to better target their audience in stories, grammar, and advertising.
I am sure Apple uses our info but why would apple want to allow a third party access to info without paying for it.
 
muchadoaboutnot said:
Apple is going to work in recurring billing into iTunes and will take a cut of every subscription. The motive is obvious.

As far as the WSJ being able to bill directly and have a subscription app, magazines are new and the WSJ app has been approved. Who is to say that Apple won't force them to follow the same rules that they're putting on magazines?
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Agreed. They want a cut of the subscription cost.

In the end, that's the real reason behind the closed system Apple is so keen to preserve.
 
muchadoaboutnot said:
Apple is going to work in recurring billing into iTunes and will take a cut of every subscription. The motive is obvious.

As far as the WSJ being able to bill directly and have a subscription app, magazines are new and the WSJ app has been approved. Who is to say that Apple won't force them to follow the same rules that they're putting on magazines?
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The difference is that Sports Illustrated wants Apple to pay for the distribution of the magazine via iTunes.

In contrast other subscription service apps, deliver the content via the internet.

Look at things like subscription service apps (e.g. Pandora, Evernote etc.), subscription content services (e.g. WSJ) seem to do fine distributing their content via an app.

I think what the magazine wants is free distribution and the ability to bill independent of iTunes, thus cutting apple out of their 30% that they need to pay for distribution.
 
omg this is so stupid why doesn't Time just release a single Sports Illustrated app and just have a login to read it. If you want access, pay whatever $$ per month for your login. If you don't pay, you don't login. Simple.

Sheesh why do they have to release a new app for every single issue??
 
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