It looks like Apple has their first high-profile newspaper subscription since the launch of The Daily, with The New York Times switching their apps to a paid model effective March 28, complete with the option to subscribe via in-app purchase and presumably give Apple their 30 percent slice of the pie.
MacRumors is reporting that The New York Times is finally making good on their long-standing threat of paid digital subscriptions. The news giant will switch to new subscription options on March 28, followed by the option to subscribe from within the iOS apps by June 30, when Apple is forcing publishers to fork over 30 percent of their bounty to Cupertino.
“The subscription plan allows for free access to a set amount of content across digital platforms,” the Times revealed on Thursday. “When the monthly reading limit is reached, users who are not already home delivery subscribers will be asked to become digital subscribers.
“Digital subscriptions will be available in the United States and globally on March 28, 2011,” the announcement continues. “The Times is launching digital subscriptions in the Canadian market beginning today in order to fine-tune the customer experience prior to the global launch. For non-home delivery subscribers, the basic package - NYTimes.com plus Smartphone App - will start at $15 every four weeks.”
Free access will be limited to “up to 20 articles per month,” although users who stumble upon articles “from search results, blog links and social media” will apparently still be able to access them for free even after they’ve hit their limit for the month. Also, the paper’s “Top News” section will remain free of charge on the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad apps.
Finally, subscribers to the print edition of The New York Times will ultimately get the best deal, since their digital subscription will be included -- and a few bucks cheaper than everyone else.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
