Financial Times Thumbs Nose at Apple with Web App

Just as mainstream publishers are hitching their digital futures to Apple with a deal to sell subscriptions through the company's new Newsstand, one major publisher is saying, in effect, who needs it? On Tuesday, the Financial Times launched FT Web App, a browser-based app for tablets, which is expected to replace the app it sells via Apple when the FT’s terms with Apple expire June 30. The app is optimized for the iPad and iPhone, but the FT says it will be adapted to other devices, including the Samsung Galaxy and Motorola Xoom. The news comes, coincidentally, as Apple has been making headway with other mainstream publishers. Major publishers including Condé Nast and Hearst have agreed to sell subscriptions to their titles on the iPad, with Apple taking the 30 percent cut its been demanding. And yesterday, Apple announced a “Newsstand” app that’s been long sought by publishers. The app will let consumers store and browse all their newspaper and magazine subscriptions in one place, similar to the iBooks feature, although it’s unclear how the workflow will be and if the newsstand will be open to free aggregator apps like Flipboard and Pulse or just paid publications. The FT isn’t the biggest publisher out there, but it’s one of the few that’s figured out how to build a paid digital strategy, making its new app move particularly noteworthy. There are clear advantages to Web apps. Publishers, free from the constraints of the App Store, can charge what they want, keep all... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #stronger position #follow suit #digital business

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How One Small Publisher Cracked the App Store Top 25

Publishers are launching iPhone and iPad apps on a daily basis (unless you're Bonnier, then it seems almost hourly). Many are coming from the usual suspects with deep pockets--Hearst, Conde Nast, Time Inc. etc. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time to Change Co-op?

After several stark years in which stores like Cody's in San Francisco and Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville closed and the nation's second largest chain is teetering more than ever, publishers and booksellers are looking for new ways to work together. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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