Will the iPad version of the Wall Street Journal attract users with a $17.99/month subscription plan?
After months of anticipation, the iPad will finally be in the hands of thousands of Apple fans on April 3rd. In addition to a promised “second gold rush” with respect to apps, the iPad is also being touted as a device capable of breathing life and money into the withering medium of print media.
Apple has reportedly encountered some friction in getting as many magazines and newspapers on board the iPad as it had initially hoped for, and it has in turn focused most of its attention on attracting publishers to its iBook Store. As it stands now, Apple has signed deals with 5 of the 6 biggest publishing houses, with Random House being the lone holdout.
But back to newspapers.
While some newspapers are curiously hesitant to go all in on the iPad due to concerns about revenue and perhaps getting into bed with Apple, one publication embracing the iPad with open arms is the Wall Street Journal. Incidentally, I’m sure it helps that the WSJ was one of the select few entities that was granted full access to the iPad weeks ago.
But before you start thinking about donning your reading glasses, firing up the iPad, and taking in the morning news via the Wall Street Journal, you might want to first familiarize yourself with its pricing structure.
According to a recent report, a Wall Street Journal subscription for the iPad will cost users $17.99. A month. Now while that sounds like a pretty penny, keep in mind that the paper copy of the Journal will set you back about $29/month. The Kindle version of the Journal, meanwhile, will set you back $14.99 a month.
So while some media outlets are decrying what they categorize as price gouging by the Journal, it’s probably best to keep things in perspective. The interesting question, though, is if the pool of potential iPad users are of the type who would be interested in the Wall Street Journal in the first place. On first glance, I’d have to assume that the answer to that question is ‘no.’
It remains to be seen if the WSJ is shooting itself in the foot with its subscription plan, but we imagine it’s only a matter of time before market forces settle down and reveal the answer to that question.
Until then, would you pay $17.99 a month for access to the WSJ? Would you pay $17.99 a month for access to any publication for that matter?
