“Apple is being warned against trying to squeeze cash out of the newspaper industry by controlling subscriptions for iPads and iPhones,” BBC News reports.
“The European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) says it is concerned by the company’s plans to direct online sales through iTunes,” The Beeb reports. “If that happens, the ENPA warns, a large cut of their profits would go to Apple.”
“Apple declined to comment on the ENPA’s criticism,” The Beeb reports. “The company has previously denied that it plans to stop users from buying subscriptions through publishers’ own websites. However, it has introduced a rule that newspaper apps must include an option to purchase through iTunes.”
MacDailyNews Take: And, so, the ENPA’s “concerns” are baseless.
The Beeb reports, “Critics argue that the ease of ‘in app’ subscription means most users will opt for Apple’s preferred method.”
MacDailyNews Take: Tough.
The Beeb reports, “In a related move, Belgium’s economy minister has called for an official investigation into Apple’s plans to sell e-newspapers. Vincent Van Quickenborne has suggested that the company may be abusing its dominant position in the market.”
MacDailyNews Take: Sounds like Q needs to go back to law school.
Full article here.
IDK about all this mumbo jumbo, but Palm is introducing the new tablet from them, and it looks pretty impressive. The multitasking is build in and seemless, runs smooth, so are the notifications. Built in and seemless. Feels like a complete package, not features added in after the fact.
European press association does not warn retail sellers of their newspapers and magazines, but why it warns Apple which does the same service?
I mean both retail sales system and Apple have their own delivery infrastructure expenses, and retail sales actually often takes way more than 30% of retail price of a newspaper or magazine.
Cue double standards?
Well done, Joe! You got all the talking points in! Gold star for you!
No, they are right. Forcing apps to require an option to buy through iTunes is a problem going forward for a lot of content providers.
However, the content providers should first poll their own readers to see if they would rather pay iTunes or go through the hassle of paying a newspaper directly.
If their content is so great, have them put it on a tablet/iphone friendly HTML5 website with animation, video, whatever and forget the app store “apps”.
I think “apps” for newspapers is silly. HTML5, CSS and Javascript work great on iOS. Check out yahoo’s ipad site for example, looks great.
“The Daily” type apps are massive black holes of development money where most of that functionality is available through good HTML5, CSS and Javascript already.
Sorry if truth hurts anyone’s feelings.
Apple sells so few “newspapers” at this point that the very idea of an anti-trust inquiry is laughable. Also, what about all these other “tablets” we keep hearing about? Judging by the press, you’d think these things are everywhere.
@ploogman
If a publisher builds their site, hosts their content, handles their own billing, then sure they deserve all the proceeds.
But if a publisher depends on Apple to host and distribute the content, then Apple deserves a cut.
And as was pointed out in the article, Apple has no plans to prevent the first option while providing the second.
Sorry, Apple’s not a villain here.
@ploogman
Another reason anti-trust is laughable. Native apps are not the only way of getting it out there. Lest we forget, web apps used to be the only way to do apps on iOS.
Europeans are so stupid. Just shut up and accept it.
Let’s see … newspapers have to cut down trees, haul them to pulp mills .. haul the paper rolls to massive presses … haul the printed papers by various means using gas, transportation, and people. Is it not a no-brainer to move to a system of electronic distribution. And the papers are concerned they might have to share revenue with Apple? Just plain dumb.
Another thick head dolt posts his mind farts.
Europussies hate competition, and the lazy lard asses are like US libs … If they can’t win amongst then people they go crying to the courts or governments. Likembabies with a diaper full of shit.
A whole continent of asswipe Pelosis.
I live in Norway. I make about 200 000$ and have about 120 000$ after tax. I work 37,5 hr/wk. I have 6 weeks paid vacation. I just recently had an accident and was on 3 weeks sick leave with full pay. Unemployment in Norway is about 2%.
Beat that stupid!
Frigtarded Eurocrats. They left out the part about the carbon app tax and limiting apps so they only work 35 hours a week.
All this dissing of Eurpeans in general is just a bad case of denial. If you look at how the countries of Western Europe run their countries, it’s crystal clear that Americans are the true retards.
Sure, Europe is nice on the surface, but is it sustainable? Go here
http://www.usdebtclock.org/world-debt-clock.html
and carefully compare the numbers. For the most part, the Europeans are in an even deeper hole than the U.S.
Government agencies from any country: those who can, do; those who can’t, steal.
What do they think, Apple is some kind of community services society that provides these newspapers space and eyes for their apps, but wants no part of the profits they would make from these apps? And I’m amused by the use of the term “warn” – be afraid, Apple, of the newspaper association – be very afraid!
Problem with retards like the ENPA is that they can make billions selling news trough apple but they prefer to make just millions selling it their self.
Just like happened with record companies.
I’m Scottish and a European. Americans are so full of themselves. “Our way or no way” seems to be your mantra. Try taking your heads out of your a$$es for a while, the view is so much better.
Just because some European Minister has suggested something doesn’t mean he’s correct nor does it mean anyone will take notice.
Just remember a Belgian Minister is exactly that, a Minister of the Belgian Government, not the European Parliament, so his concerns are only really based from a Belgian perspective.
So you loud mouthed a$$mericans, don’t blight all of Europe for something a Belgian Minister said.
As for the European debt, yeah we are up the creek without a paddle, but that’s because the European Banks bought toxic debt from American Banks having been told by the American Banks the debt was a sound investment. (as a side note, the European Parliament passed a bill which declared all bananas had to be straight! I hadn’t thought about eating a gay banana before this happened!).
Getting back to the point of this thread. Apple have the right to a cut if they host and process the app. No big deal.
I’m European and think Kirkgray is absolutely right. We still don’t get basic economic and business concepts
“Belgium’s economy minister has called for an official investigation into Apple’s plans to sell e-newspapers…”
This is the modern world!
Catch up!
Europe: Apple, your competitive practices aren’t very nice. We would like to freeload on the infrastructure you spent billions to create so we can have a way to manage subscriptions in scale – something we’ve sat on our ass instead of developing – for free.
Apple: LOL
Seems like the solution would be simple. Charge $7 per month if you sign up on the newspaper’s website and you get access through Safari. If you want the App and to pay through iTunes, charge $10. Newspaper gets same amount of money.
Apple is the villain here. What you say would be nice however it is Apple that only offers one solution on how to get the content onto the device. I cannot download an app onto my device without having to go through iTunes, yet they want developers to add multiple ways on how to pay for that content.
30% is nice for one time purchases, however for a subscription I believe it’s highway robbery. I am so tired of everyone claiming how it’s cheaper for magazines and newspapers to pay the 30% when they never take into consideration what it costs to build and maintain the infrastructure to supply iTunes with said app and content. Developers cost money and I would guess probably more than someone running a press.
Apple, when it announced the iPad made a big ado about how this was going to revolutionize the “dying” print market. By stifling subscription access and removing the direct access of the customer from the content provider they are going back on their promise to revitalize the print industry. They leave the providers to deliver single issues at near newsstand prices and let them take all the fallout for charging the prices they do.
I am not with Apple on this one and I for one am deeply disappointed in their mishandling of this whole issue.
Welcome to the future of magazine and newspaper publishing.
They need to evolve or die out.
Reminds me exactly how the music industry reacted when apple launched the iTunes store.
History repeating itself…
If the European newsies don’t like paying for delivery, let them invent and distribute their own tablets.