Apple App Store subscription plan gouges publishers, eats their young

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Somebody call the cops -- eh, antitrust authorities. Apple's subscription plan is here, and it's as bad for many, if not most, publishers as rumored. The first of several key sentences from Apple's press announcement: "Publishers may no longer provide links in their apps (to a website, for example) which allow the customer to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the app." That means you Amazon Kindle; before the announcement, all Kindle transactions took place outside the app in a web browser. This change applies to any content, but it's nestled in the subscriptions announcement.Another piece of nastiness: "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." That rule conceptually would prevent some publishers from extending to existing customers the benefits of a free iPad subscription."So, Apple doesn't prohibit publishers from selling subscriptions outside the app -- how could it and get anyone to offer content? But the company does fix prices. So if publisher A charges 50 bucks a year and wants to offer a holiday or school graduation promotion from its website, the deal must be offered for app subscriptions, too. Remember, Apple collects 30 percent from publishers.No one should misunderstand other terms, as stated in Apple's press release:... Continue reading at 'Betanews'

[ Betanews | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Apple App Store subscription plan gouges publishers, eats their young"

Makinson confident as publishers face digital "flux"

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 22/06/2011 - 10:10 Publishers will play a bigger and more complicated role, but only if the link between the author and reader is "reconfigured", was among the conclusions from a panel of chief executives at Publishers Launch London. John... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Nook Gets a Nudge From Consumer Reports

Barnes & Noble's newest Nook has fewer features than its predecessor, as well as many other rivals. That's great, says Consumer Reports, which has crowned the new $139 device its favorite ebook reader. It's the first time the magazine has put an e-reader made by anyone other than Amazon at... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Steve Jobs the Comic Book Hero: An Exclusive Look

PCWorld managed to snag previews of some of the pages, although they are a work-in-progress as the pages have not yet been colored or had speech bubbles put in. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Kobo, Nook Newcomers vs. Kindle: Chart

Barnes & Noble and Kobo are getting into the e-reader game with a new breed of touchscreen ebook readers, set for release in June Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Amazon.com lowers price of 3G Kindle with ads

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 25/05/2011 - 09:23 Amazon.com has created a 3G version of its cheapest Kindle after it become the companys bestselling e-reader. The internet retailing giant announced that it was selling Kindle 3G with Special Offers in "response to customer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Liberty Says Nook Inspired B&N Bid

Liberty Media Corp. executives laid out their rationale for their surprise bid for Barnes & Noble Inc., touting the potential of the bookseller's Nook e-reader and the vast network of retail stores it can use to promote it. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

B&N Puts Focus on Digital [Voices]

Barnes & Noble Inc. is expected to debut a new e-reader on Tuesday, marking the latest chapter in the bookseller's battle with Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. to dominate the fast-growing digital book sales business. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Liberty Media makes offer for Barnes & Noble

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Fri, 20/05/2011 - 10:11 US bookseller Barnes & Noble has received an offer for the company from Liberty Media, a private investment group. The deal values the business at about $1bn, but Liberty said it expected to spend $500m on the acquisition... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Liberty Media Bids for Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble Inc. said that Liberty Media Corp. has offered to buy the bookseller in a deal valuing it at about $1 billion. Barnes & Noble shares were up 20 percent in after-hours trading Thursday on the news, matching the $17-a-share offer price from John Malone's media empire. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

B&N Puts Focus on Digital

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Liberty Media Bids for Barnes & Noble [Voices]

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Barnes & Noble Updates NOOK for Android OS

Barnes & Noble is giving publishers another option to distribute digital periodicals, announcing Friday that its 140 newsstand brands will be available to Android-powered tablet devices. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Waterstone's plans ebook push for post-HMV era

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 15:49 Waterstone's could soon bring e-reading front of store in its physical bookshops in a manner similar to Barnes & Noble with its Nook in the US, according to e-commerce manager Alex Ingrams. Speaking to delegates at the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Barnes & Noble Plans New E-Book Reader [Voices]

Barnes & Noble Inc. will unveil a new electronic book reader later this month, the bookseller told analysts and investors on Wednesday, according to a federal filing released after the close of trading. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

E-Book Boom Boosts Simon & Schuster [MediaMemo]

All of those Amazon Kindle sales -- and, presumably, sales of competitive ebook readers from Barnes & Noble and Apple -- have made an impact at publisher Simon & Schuster. The CBS unit says Q1 digital sales doubled over the previous year, and now represent 18 percent of the company's the... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Sandra Boynton Demonstrates App, Signs Books--and a Few Nooks

Monday nights Sandra Boynton book event at the Barnes & Noble on Manhattans Upper East Side looked like a pretty normal book signing--normal for Boynton, the bestselling childrens book author, anyway. Toddlers and slightly older kids, some dressed in pajamas, crammed into the event space,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

NOOK Color Reader Looks to Become Tablet Competitor

Barnes & Noble Inc. is stepping up their e-reader offering, upping the NOOK Color experience to rival those of tablet computers like the iPad and Motorola Xoom. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The New York State of Bookselling

Independent booksellers may have dreaded Borders's arrival in New York City in 1996, but it was Barnes & Noble that tried to keep its longtime rival out by leasing every available 40,000-sq.-ft. space on its home turf. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

With Update, Barnes & Noble's Nook Color Gets More Tablet-Like [Mobilized]

A free update is bringing the ability to install various paid and free Android apps, though only those that Barnes & Noble approves. The new software also offers improved browsing, the Froyo version of Android and support for video content within books. Even with the update, the Nook Color... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Would You Sign My Kindle? [Voices]

Sitting at a table in a Barnes & Noble in St. Petersburg, Fla., T. J. Waters was signing copies of his book Hyperformance when a fan standing in line with the eBook version walked up and said, Its too bad you cant sign my Kindle. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this