Now that so many Google Android-operated tablets are coming to consumers I’m sure we will experience an Android App Market explosion. The magazines ‘Wired’ and ‘The New Yorker’ will be launching their Android Apps this spring. Here it comes iPad, Android users are getting something else only you have been privy to for the past few months.
Sports Illustrated magazine currently offers an ‘all access’ subscription in an array of digital formats, including Android for $48, which is priced the same as its paper weekly magazine. This subscription is unavailable to iPad users, and one of the biggest complaints we hear from them. They can only purchase Sports Illustrated by the copy at $5 each.
‘The Daily’ launched their subscription service through iPad for either $1 per week, or $40 a year, only after Apple agreed to a change in its ‘Terms of Service’.
New Terms of Service, which must be accepted before you download The Daily App, say in part:
“A new ‘In-App Subscriptions’ section has been added to the Terms and Conditions to explain how in-app subscriptions auto-renew, how the auto-renewal can be managed and turned off, and that we may request permission to provide personal information to the Licensor for marketing purposes which, if declined, will not affect your purchase.”
This is extremely important to publishers because previously all subscriptions had to be sold through the iTunes Store. This meant they weren’t entitled to receive any subscriber information about purchases made through Apple’s store. This new change gives ‘The Daily’ more control over information about who is buying their magazine subscriptions, and they can communicate with purchasers directly. This may entice more publishers to offer subscriptions to iPad users. If Apple wants to remain competitive with Google Android they should certainly continue this tread, or risk losing buyers to Android tablets.
Via: Wired