Kobo / Apple purchasing changes

[stonetools]

Apple taketh away, but also giveth:

Soon iPad users who are Barnes & Noble customers will be able to access (note: not subscribe to) their magazines and periodicals on iOS devices, as well as the Nook. Today Barnes & Noble announced that their extensive collection of interactive magazines and popular newspapers will soon be available on the iPad.

Barnes & Noble’s magazines and newspapers were first offered on the Nook Color, and are optimized for high-resolution color displays. Now users will be able to view magazines and periodicals like Forbes, Newsweek, Popular Science, Elle, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and USA Today on their iPads.

Nook content will not be available for purchase in-app. Instead, users will need to visit the Nook Newstand to purchase subscriptions and single copies of offered content.

This update will also include more than 550 interactive children’s picture books in the Nook Kids app, giving parents and children access to their full-color digital Nook books on iOS devices.

LINK

As LB says, Apple reigns supreme in terms of making content available for the IOs platform. Indeed, this much berated subscription policy is crafted with an eye for Apple to acquire and offer more and different kinds of content (music and video streaming, magazine and news subscriptions ) with the Ios upgrade in the fall.

[charmian]

http://quatermain.tumblr.com/post/80...f-the-kobo-app

A developer of the Kobo iOS app speaks.

[melmac]

Originally Posted by charmian

http://quatermain.tumblr.com/post/80...f-the-kobo-app

A developer of the Kobo iOS app speaks.

Wow Apple are really playing hardball I hope it bites them in the ....

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by charmian

http://quatermain.tumblr.com/post/80...f-the-kobo-app

A developer of the Kobo iOS app speaks.

Originally Posted by from link

The store was removed because Apple rejected any updates which included it, period. They also rejected any updates which stated that Apple required its removal, or indeed any mention of ‘compliance with App Store guidelines’. It was further rejected for the cardinal sin of allowing users to create a Kobo account within the app. Then it was rejected for providing a link to let users create an account outside the app. Then it was rejected for simply mentioning that it was possible to sign up, with no direction on where or how one could do that. Then it was rejected for making any mention of the Kobo website. Then for any mention of ‘our website’ at all, in any language. We additionally cannot make any assertions that Kobo provides content for sale, however obliquely.

[cfrizz]

Apple can go to hell & take all it's gadgets with them.

[HarryT]

Apple seem to be doing moderately well with their current policies. How much money did they make in the last quarter?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by stonetools

Actually, it does'nt. I see Apple allowing (and then encouraging) the existence of third party apps on a platform that originally was not meant to have third party apps. I see Apple's decision bearing fruit in the App Store-the world's largest mobile software store, with 425,000 apps. I see consumers downloading fifteen BILLION apps in three years. I see merchants and Software developers flocking TO-not away from - the Ios platform ( I guess to get bullied).
I see all major booksellers selling on the Ios platform-in competition with Apple's bookstore- while closing their platforms to each other.
I see Apple, for the sake of its consumers, allow these booksellers to remain on its platform, making millions of dollars for themselves , with only slight restrictions on their ability to sell books.
THAT'S reality, as I see it.

I see me using iTunes to only get free content.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by leebase

Those companies had the choice of keeping their in app purchasing, but they did not want to give apple their cut.

If this proves to be successful, Google and Microsoft just might do the same thing. Who knows, maybe web browsers might jump on board.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by jackastor

ACtually this is way apple wants it so that they can force a 30 percent hike in ebook cost to the consumer to meet their currently high priced ebooks which for the most part seem to be about 30 percent higher then avg.

For Agency books Apple's prices will be exactly the same as anywhere else.

[HappyMartin]

I read very limited stuff on the ipad. Technical things like training manuals for cycling and such because the tables and charts are hard to make out on the kindle. I dont like reading on the ipad at all. I find it heavy, shiny and hard to read with outside.

I usually purchase on my desktop machine and then tell amazon where to send the book. This change is no big deal for me. A bit petty but as a long time apple user I am used to that.

Bought the ipad on a bit of an impulse and thought it would be a fun thing but so far I am love with it as a work productivity device.

[stonetools]

Now let me state that Apple did take a step back (albeit a small one) in terms of UX for ebook consumers. Even No . 1 Apple fanboy John Gruber opposes this change:

There you go. This is the result of Apple putting its own interests ahead of those of its users. It’s certainly not drastic (as it would be if Amazon had pulled the app from the store entirely), but in no way can it be argued that this is an improvement for users.

DARING FIREBALL

I am willing to give the Apple the benefit of the doubt on this. I am willing to accept this step back IF it means that Apple needs this change in order to bring us UX improvements with Ios 5, which will debut in the fall. If that isn't true, put me in the "This sux" camp.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by stonetools

I am willing to give the Apple the benefit of the doubt on this. I am willing to accept this step back IF it means that Apple needs this change in order to bring us UX improvements with Ios 5, which will debut in the fall. If that isn't true, put me in the "This sux" camp.

I don't see how this change will benefit the user one bit. It does nothing but add an extra layer to purchases.

It's a good thing I don't buy and read books on my iPod touch; otherwise, I'd be royally ticked off. Since I don't, this change doesn't affect me.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I don't see how this change will benefit the user one bit. It does nothing but add an extra layer to purchases.

It's a good thing I don't buy and read books on my iPod touch; otherwise, I'd be royally ticked off. Since I don't, this change doesn't affect me.

It doesn't, directly. The only thing that I could see is that Apple is rolling out a new feature(Newsstand) as part of IOs 5:

At an Apple conference held in San Francisco on June 6, Apple introduced iOS 5, the latest version of its mobile operating system, which now includes the Newsstand, a virtual set of shelves that display users’ subscriptions with the latest issues of magazine titles.

Also new to the App Store is an app that features only magazine and newspapers titles that offer a subscription model to customers.

In the Newsstand feature, each of the user’s chosen titles are updated automatically, “so you always have the latest issue and the most recent cover art,” according to a news statement from Apple.

LINK

Maybe the magazine publishers would not have signed up for this unless Apple included ebooks in this policy change. TBH, I don't know. What I DO know is that you can still access the broadest range of written content on Ios-just slightly less conveniently than before.

[fbrII]

As LB says, Apple reigns supreme in terms of making content available for the IOs platform. Indeed, this much berated subscription policy is crafted with an eye for Apple to acquire and offer more and different kinds of content (music and video streaming, magazine and news subscriptions ) with the Ios upgrade in the fall.

I would drink a little less Kool Aid if I were you.

[Scott Nicholson]

As an author who gets my income reported directly, and from the data of other indie authors, I can tell you iBooks maybe--with a huge stretch--has three percent of the ebook market. I'd put it at one percent (remember Steve Jobs claiming a third of the ebook market a year ago?) Maybe they're trying to be more competitive, but the protectionist attitude is one reason I've never purchased any Mac product (had to use them for work for a decade so I do have a basis for comparison). It will be interesting in the way this shakes out, but reading books doesn't seem high on the list at all for the iPad owners I know.