New York Times
In a hopeful sign for publishers, Newsweek’s new iPad app includes options for three- and six-month subscriptions. Users can purchase and renew subscriptions within the app, using their iTunes accounts.
The in-app subscription option, which is also being used by the new New York Post and Food & Wine apps, is something publishers have been asking for since the iPad launched in April.
But, Joshua Brustein points out, this is not the full answer they wanted. Because the subscription payments are handled by Apple, publishers have limited access to customer information. This makes it impossible to offer hybrid print/iPad discounts to readers who subscribe on other platforms.
Newsweek’s Pad editions are priced at a discount over a six-month print subscription, which costs $24.00. Brustein writes: