AppSubscriptions
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Hulu Plus app tweaked oh-so-slightly to comply with Apple rules
Hulu made a subtle change to its iPad app this weekend, cutting off that bottom line you can see in the screenshot above. Yes, per Apple's rules on charging for in-app subscriptions, Hulu can't actually link to its own site to promote its own subscription service for video streaming of TV episodes, movies and such. Apple's rules say either no links whatsoever to outside subscription signups, or both in-app subscriptions (which means a flat 30% goes to Apple directly) and offsite links. Since Hulu doesn't want to give any cut to Apple, the choice has apparently been made to simply offer the app as a service itself, rather than an ad for the site subscription. Will this affect Hulu's sales? Probably not too much -- I'd assume that most Hulu users are already subscribers, or at least know about the option already. Clearly the company determined it was more important to get the app out there than to worry about using it as an advertising tool. We'll have to wait and see how (or if -- some companies have already confirmed that they won't be dealing with in-app subscriptions at all) other subscription services handle Apple's restrictions.
iOS 4.3 could come in December, add subscriptions
It's only been a few days since iOS 4.2 landed on our iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, and already, speculation has begun that version 4.3 could arrive within just a few weeks. The only major new feature that is expected to debut is app subscriptions, which would allow recurring charges. This would address one of the biggest complaints raised by magazine publishers since the iPad launched last spring. Currently, publishers have to either charge once for an app and then provide the ongoing content for free, or else create and sell a new version of the app each day/week/month. The new approach would likely expand on the idea of in-app purchases, allowing publishers to provide an app for free and then automatically charge for new content on a recurring basis, much as they have done with paper subscriptions. In addition to supporting the new payment mechanism, 4.3 will reportedly also include the capability to automatically push out fresh content to tablets. A similar feature has been available on the Amazon Kindle since it launched. Unlike the text-only Kindle, however, iOS devices support media-heavy content, and the mythical Maiden, North Carolina data center may play a big part in delivering this content. Among the first publications to take advantage of this new capability will probably be The Daily, the new tablet-only "newspaper" planned by News Corp. Apple and News Corp have reportedly been collaborating on the development of The Daily, and a beta version may arrive with iOS 4.3 by December 13.
