Apple is looking to launch a digital store for newspapers, magazines and other periodicals, according to Bloomberg.
The US news agency cites “two people familiar with the matter” who have said that the service would be similar to Apple’s iBookstore but would separate periodical content from the App Store, where some titles are already available.
Unsurprisingly, the main obstacle is the split between Apple and publishers, both of revenues and of user data.
“These are serious discussions about subscriptions and advertising within newspaper and magazine applications,” Roger Fidler, the program director for digital publishing at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri told Bloomberg. “Publishers want to know who their customers are and their usage patterns while reading.”
Apple declined to comment.
Currently periodicals, including MacUser, are deploying custom apps to distribute individual copies, using in-app purchasing to enable readers to buy copies as they require; there is no subscription option.
