Unfair Subscription Pricing for iPad Owners?

[Jeff Campbell]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.macworld.com/article/151067/2010/05/ipad_freenews.html?lsrc=rss_main' target='_blank'>http://www.macworld.com/article/151...l?lsrc=rss_main</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"If you thought online news would be free forever, perhaps it's time to think again. Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp., announced during that company's third-quarter earnings call that in "three to four weeks" it would be announcing a subscription model for news and other digital content. The impetus? None other than Apple's iPad."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1273148694.usr105634.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Not sure if this is what they had in mind when it was called a "game changer" but this is what it has led to apparently. The Wall Street Journal isn't the only one with this in mind as the New York Times and USA Today area also stating they will be charging for subscriptions for service on the iPad. I don't mind paying subscriptions on the iPad because of the convenience factor is worth it to me, but I don't want to get raked over the coals by paying the same price as print version. For instance, you can get a <a href="https://services.wsj.com/Gryphon/jsp/retentionController.jsp?page=86" target="_blank">combo online/print subscription</a>*to the Wall Street Journal for $140.00 USD per year ($11.67 USD per month) so why is the Wall Street Journal punishing you for owning an iPad and charging you roughly $200.00 USD per year ($3.99 USD per week)? The ridiculous pricing extends to some magazines too, such as Time magazine where they charge $4.99 USD for the digital version (the print version sells for $4.95 USD). What are your thoughts?</p>

[doogald]

My thoughts are that if people simply refuse to subscribe at those prices, the content providers will either lower their price, or somebody will offer services that are good enough for less (or free).

[dequardo]

These unsustainable prices are the house of cards upon which Jobs sold the iPad to publishers. When this all falls apart Apple will have still sold the hardware and will be on to some other market.

[Sven Johannsen]

One thing I like about my iPad is it is reeeaaallyy easy to dump an app. When a news source or whatever decides it wants more of my money than I think it is worth, you just hold down on it, and all the little apps start shaking in their boots, and you just tap the little X on the one that is no longer welcome. Simple solution.

Not to say I won't pay for content, There are people that make their living researching, formatting and producing it. I get paid for what I do too. I won't be ripped off though.

[Macguy59]

The market will bring them back to reality. From their POV, it's an additional cost in resources (realized or nor)

[Jason Dunn]

The publishers are looking at this as an opportunity to make up the money they lost on that whole "Internet thing". :rolleyes: They'll figure out what the market will bear soon enough - and it's certainly not those prices.