Half of iPad subscribers willing to share information
At first, publishers were wary of the terms of publishing for Apple's iPad that would require them to ask consumers whether or not they could use their information. In traditional magazine publishing, magazines would get access to their subscribers' information, and publishers worried that they wouldn't under this new deal.
But it turns out those worries were unfounded. According to Forbes, Apple has confirmed that 50 percent of subscribers are providing their information anyway. Mark Edmiston of Nomad Editions says, "what was an insurmountable obstacle no longer is." Go figure.
50 percent is still less than 100 percent, which is what publishers had with their original paper subscription plans. But it's also better than nothing, which is what publishers were worried they would end up with. With a little tweaking, offering things like free content or other incentives to share that information, publishers could get a great rate of return. Just goes to show that while there are certainly obstacles for publishers to overcome in this new age of digital publishing to tablets, not all of them are "insurmountable."
