[stonetools]

This comment on the article nails it:

QUOTE]Apple wants tons of games in, sorry, on the App Store. And most other apps. But it doesn't want apps that sell media. Hence, the 30% tax, which Apple knows makes it impossible for these companies. Apple wants magazines to use its forthcoming Newsstand app rather than create their own apps. And Apple could care less about other eBook readers. It has iBooks, which essentially uses the same model as iTunes. There's only one iTunes, and no one complains much about it being the only option for buying songs. [/QUOTE]

I would add that the deal with magazines was with magazine PUBLISHERS, not RETAILERS. But he's pretty much right. Ibooks is now to competing booksellers as ITunes is to competing music and video stores. Prior to the policy change, NO ONE here said, " Gee, isn't it mean of Apple to stop Amazon from selling its music and videos directly on Ios devices?"
Maybe Apple's problem is that it didn't forbid store links on ereader apps from day one, thereby setting up unrealistic expectations. Had it done so from the beginning, hardly a soul would have taken notice, just like no one complains that Netflix has never had a Subscribe button. Yet Netflix has thrived in the Apple ecosystem.