Apple finally unveiled its long-awaited plan to allow magazine publishers to sell long-term subscriptions on the iPad.
Up until now, consumers could only purchase single copies of most magazines via iTunes.
The announcement was deemed significant enough to go out under Apple founder Steve Jobs’s name. He is on a medical leave of absence from day-to-day operations, but still involved in the business.
The plan appeared to land with a thud. Some publishers are unhappy that Apple won’t give them full data on consumers who subscribe via the iPad — and therefore, they are still reluctant to get involved with selling subscriptions.
A Time Warner spokesman said: “It seems like Apple is taking a step towards our position on subscription offerings, but the announcement also raises questions around the consumer data that we’d have to work through and come to an agreement on.”
Hearst added: “We’re pleased to see subscription agreements coming to the tablet world.” It declined to comment on when its titles will be available.
Hearst has a few titles available via single copy on iTunes, including Esquire, Popular Mechanics and O, the Oprah Magazine.
Condé Nast, which on Monday was happy to reveal it would be making Wired and the New Yorker available on smartphones using Google’s Android system, had no comment at all on yesterday’s announcement.
Under the plan, Apple takes a 30 percent cut of the subscription price if it goes through iTunes, as it does with single-issue sales, but allows publishers to keep all the cash if the consumer makes the purchase via the individual mag app instead of the iTunes store.
But sources say that the revenue cut is not the big stumbling block — it’s the data issue.
“It’s interesting that none of the big boys announced they were participating on Day One,” said one executive. That contrasts with the introduction of the iPad nine months ago, when publishers were extremely anxious to be in the first wave offering to sell single-copy editions via the iPad.
The only publisher that announced that any of its magazines were available via the new subscription app yesterday was Bonnier Publications, which said it put Popular Science subscriptions on the iPad.
Apple declined further comment.
Publishers dearly want to the iPad to succeed.
“We love Apple; we have a great desire to sell subscriptions in the iTunes store,” said Randall Rothenberg, the chief digital officer of Time Inc. only last Friday at a press conference unveiling a slew of Sports Illustrated digital offerings that were going to be available via subscription on smartphones using Android.
Tina facelift
Media buyers who have gotten a look at Tina Brown‘s new prototype for Newsweek say it will be a sweeping overhaul.
George Clooney was on the cover of the prototype that one media buyer saw. Even though it was taking a look at Clooney’s political leanings, it made the ad executive think that Brown was pitching the celebrity coverage that she embraced when she was running Vanity Fair in the ’90s at Condé Nast.
The media exec was nevertheless impressed. “The bar was set pretty low by Jon Meacham and Tom Ascheim,” said the media executive. “I think this is a big step in the right direction.”
The magazine is also going to move to heavier stock on the cover and inside, “not the tissue paper that they are putting it out on now,” said the media person.
“I think the Newsweek name has authority and credibility with readers still,” said the media buyer.
Also in the cards, some sources say, Newsweek is mulling a switch in delivery time and will emulate Time and switch to Friday delivery. Time switched three years to Fridays while Newsweek continued with its Monday morning arrival time.
A Newsweek spokesman insisted that Newsweek will not change delivery date to newsstands.
The redesign can’t come soon enough, The issue that hit this week had only three full- page ads.
Time is also planning on make some changes. Managing Editor Rick Stengel and Executive Editor Nancy Gibbs were showing off some of the changes that will be hitting this week.
The “well” — the body of main features — will remain the same. Among the other change, the Briefing section up front will begin immediately and have short punchy news items and will incorporate a two-page spread featuring the best picture of the week. The “Washington” section has been changed to “Nation” to open it up beyond the Beltway.
The last sweeping redesign was three years ago.
The new Time publisher, Kim Kelleher, said that Q1 will show an ad page increase over a year ago. kkelly@nypost.com