The iPad 2 and the e-reader app situation

APPLE IPAD-2 NEWS IN CONNECTION WITH E-READER/KINDLE INTEREST
In the articles linked and summarized below, note the Apple-device revenue-sharing issues that were described in a blog entry Feb. 24.

Many Kindle owners also own iPads for color-intensive books, web-surfing, and shorter, lower-light reading sessions, and many are (according to article comments) waiting to hear what Apple plans are for Kindle, Nook, Sony, and Kobo apps for iPhone and iPad in July.

"Why you should wait before buying an iPad 2"
That is the headline for a Communities Canada parenting blog by Chad Skelton, who makes the following points:

' Of the people I know who have an iPad, or who want one, one of the reasons they want one is to use it as an ebook reader... in addition to Apple's own iBooks, you can also download other ereading apps for the Kindle and Kobo -- even library ebook apps like Overdrive.  It's the one device that doesn't force you to lock in with a particular book buyer -- meaning you have the broadest possible selection to choose from and can comparison shop for the best deals.

  But all that versatility is at risk.  Apple's new subscription and in-app purchase policies -- which will require apps like the Kindle to cough up 30% of every book purchase to Apple -- may well force other ereading apps off the device.
  [The wording should be "might require" rather than "will require" as the wording is still for subscription apps until we know more.]

Which would, in one stroke, turn the iPad from the most versatile ebook reader to the least.  Instead of having your choice of several ebook stores, you'd have a choice of just one: iBooks. '

Now that Random House is adding 17,000+ e-books to Apple's iStore, it could be that some Apple execs could decide to consider B&N, Amazon, Sony, et al, "middlemen" -- said to be of no interest to Apple, and the way to get them off the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch would be to just grab 100% of the revenue-share of these competing online bookstores wishing to have their apps included on the Apple devices.  One can understand a 3-10% fee, but 30% from 'middlemen' who get only 30% in the first place would be indicative of unparalleled, open greed.

 If that turns out to be the case, I don't know why Apple wouldn't just say they no longer want competing online bookstores on their devices.  I think that's better than just saying they want 100% of the revenue that the other stores would normally get (30%).

The article ends with:

' But if you're interested in using your tablet as an ereader, you'd be wise to wait a few months to see what happens before plopping down $500 or more on what could be a very lame ereader come this summer. '

The many comments to the February 16 article linked in the quotes are an indication of how many Kindles (UK: K3's) might be bought due to such a decision by Apple.


"THE IPAD 2: LIPSTICK ON A PIG"
"Apple’s new subscriptions policy takes the lustre off launch"
This mentions other apps that may not be available on the Apple devices.
The New Stateman's Jason Stamper

' Rhapsody said in a statement that, "An Apple-imposed arrangement that requires us to pay 30 per cent of our revenue to Apple, in addition to content fees that we pay to the music labels, publishers and artists, is economically untenable. The bottom line is: we would not be able to offer our service through the iTunes store if subjected to Apple's 30 per cent monthly fee vs a typical 2.5 per cent credit card fee." '

  Rhapsody will be looking, with its market peers, at "an appropriate legal and business response to this latest development."

  Apple did buy Lala last year, though, and may have its own plans, Stamper said.  Also:

' The chief executive of Pearson, the publisher of the Financial Times, said on Monday that it may pull the FT out of Apple's ecosystem if it refuses to give up customer information.  "It is unclear how their proposal is going to work, we are still talking to them," said Marjorie Scardino.  "The important thing to remember is there are many, many tablets coming out and multiple devices ... [from] Kindle to mobiles.  If indeed Apple are not happy to give us customer data then maybe we will get it somewhere else." '

Stamper adds:

' It's little wonder that if the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission are "looking at" Apple's new rules for possible antitrust violations.  At the heart of the issue isn't the 30 per cent fee but that requirement that in-app subscriptions have the same price as offers outside the app. '

  The coming (March 11) iPad 2 is considered "more an update than an upgrade" by some reviewers, and as a result some expect an iPad 3 in September with real changes instead of something to keep momentum up while the myriad of tablets are released in the next few months, while others feel that Steve Jobs's statement Tuesday that 2011 will be the year of the iPad 2 means this is IT for this year unless they also release a 7" of some type (whether a large iPod or a small iPad).  In any case, those who prize the e-reader capabilities available today will be waiting for further developments before dropping money automatically for Apple's latest edition of the iPad.

  Already, although Android apps are not plentiful yet, the Xoom WILL support Adobe Flash, will have true multi-tasking (apps actually running in the background rather than suspended, and their activity showing in a window), have a USB port and an SD slot and, most important for book readers, will run the various e-reader apps.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
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Google subscription terms vs Apple's / Kindle for Android's subscription access

The New York Times's Claire Cain Miller reports on Google's announcement of their own periodical subscription offerings via its Google One Pass system.

  Timed to contrast it against Apple's set of rules detailed in a much discussed press release Tuesday about Subscription-content apps for Apple devices, it offered the following:

' Publishers have control over how users can pay to access content and set their own prices. They can sell subscriptions of any length with auto-renewal, day passes (or other durations), individual articles or multiple-issue packages. Google One Pass also enables metered models '

There is a link on that page to their FAQ, which promises that, unlike conditions of Apple subscription apps:

  "Publishers decide the price and terms of the content they choose to sell through Google One Pass."

  Also, "Google One Pass will enable users to access content on connected, browser-enabled devices and from mobile apps where the mobile OS terms permit publishers to access the web via the app for Google One Pass transaction or authentication services."

In other words, this describes a WEB-subscription, which some columns yesterday said is more similar to a newspaper with a paywall.  As the New York Times reports:

' When publishers use One Pass, which for now is limited to online newspapers and magazines, Google will keep 10 percent of the sale price and share the customer’s name, ZIP code and e-mail address unless the customer specifically asks Google not to. '

That sharing of customer information is important to publishers.  Apple will share it with publishers only if the Apple customer permits it.

More from the NYTimes article.

' Unlike Apple’s service, Google’s is aimed more for use on Web sites than in apps, making it similar to services like Journalism Online’s Press+, which offers log-in and payments technology to online publishers.  Ms. Hornung said publishers could use One Pass in an app only if the mobile operating system’s guidelines allowed it.
  ...
  ' But Mr. McQuivey of Forrester said One Pass would be of little use to Web publishers until Android is built into many more phones, tablets and other devices, like televisions. “No publisher in their right mind would sign up to give away 10 percent of Web-based revenues,” he said.

On the other hand, if a publisher offers access to subscriptions through an Android app:

' Publishers selling content within an app running on the Android operating system, for instance, would have to comply with Android’s revenue split, under which Google gets a 30 percent share.
  However, unlike Apple, Google allows publishers to avoid selling within the app and instead to send customers to a mobile Web browser to make a purchase. '

So, that's key.

KINDLE FOR ANDROID APP DOES INCLUDE SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since December 20, this Amazon app for Android includes over 100+ Kindle subscriptions readable on your Android device.

NOTE that Amazon does NOT include the Subscription-content feature in its apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.  We now have an idea why they don't.
  The Apple devices have usually been the first app to get such updates, but subscription-content was never made available on the Apple ones.

  Apple may have communicated to Amazon earlier its plans for subscription-content apps.

  In the meantime, Amazon just had its Kindle for Apple devices updated last week for real page numbers, and a few other features.  The update was approved by Apple, though they can decline to approve any updates, and the Kindle app retains the link to the Amazon site for purchasing e-books.
  We'll know more details about precise plans for e-reader apps on Apple devices before July 1.

APPLE DRAWING SCRUTINY OVER ITS SUBSCRIPTION POLICES
I won't go into it here, at this point, as these are "inquiries" and may not develop into formal investigations.   But for those interested in reading articles on that, here are the two main newspaper articles on that from the last day (Kindle-edition blog links now work):

  NYT: IPad Service Draws Scrutiny
  WSJ: Regulators Eye Apple Anew
          Enforcers Interested in Whether Digital-Subscription Rules Stifle Competition


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!