Will Apple Be Censoring Books, Too? [Apple]

We expect of Apple as plenty of things. Maker of iPods, iPhones and iPads. Purveyor of music, videos and apps. But how will we feel about Apple as a publisher?

OK, so Apple isn’t a publisher within the most conventional sense, but it surely is terribly much within the business at the moment. Apple’s heavy promotion of stories Corp.’s iPad-only don’t-call-it-a-newspaper, the Daily is a testament to that. It’s not only taking a cut of the sales, but of the subscriptions-30 percent, though News Corp. hopes they could negotiate it down after a year. This long-awaited ( and contested ) subscription service that’s currently exclusive to The Daily is predicted to be open to every publisher soon, allowing iPad readers to legitimately sign up for their favorite newspapers and magazines, in preference to purchase them on a question-by-issue basis.

Yet Apple doesn’t take a cut of the Kindle books that you would be able to read on the iPad. Or the ones from Barnes & Noble’s nook, or Kobo. Purchased during the web on Amazon or their respective websites, the books are accessed through free apps for the iPad and iPhone. Here is how it’s always been: Whenever you attempt to buy a Kindle book on the iPad, you’re kicked out to the Safari web browser, to Amazon’s site. After the purchase is completed, you shut browser, the book syncs to the app, and you may read it. Apple doesn’t touch any of the transaction.

It puts Apple in an enchanting position. Amazon, who’s pushing the Kindle ecosystem, profits freely from selling books for Apple’s platform. The Kindle sell is a beautiful good one too-buy a Kindle book, read it basically anywhere . It’s better than Apple’s, that is buy an iBook, read it… on an Apple device.

But that’s all about to switch. After blocking Sony’s Reader application , Apple says ” We are now requiring that if an app offers customers the facility to purchase books outside of the app, that a similar option can be available to customers from inside the app.” The deadline is apparently March 31 . In other words, Amazon-and anybody else who sells books or digital subscriptions outside of the App Store, like B&N or the Wall Street Journal-is going to must offer in-app purchasing of that content, effectively routing all content during the App Store. Ensuring Apple a shot at their 30 percent cut of every book and subscription within the process.

While we could care less about Amazon’s profit margins, if Apple were to take a 30 percent cut of every Kindle book, that may wipe out every penny Amazon makes on them. Leaving Amazon the options of eating the pricetag to stay on the iPad, raising prices to make up for it or ditching the App Store entirely. That’s the immediate set of concerns for readers using their iPad as a Kindle device (like I did).

Speaking in broader strokes, it’s interesting that Apple’s now looking to direct as much published content through itself as possible. I’m not saying Apple is well going to censor books and published work, or reject what’s written. It sells explicit music for a profit inside the iTunes Store, in any case. Nevertheless it’s hard to forget the very recent past, when Apple pulled books and political cartoons out of the App Store because it thought the content was inappropriate. Under the recent system, Apple could treat published differently and more leniently-basically hands off-however it’s worth asking what it’s going to take now for Apple to tug a book or a magazine out of the iBooks or App Store? Roughly than what it took for Amazon to tug The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and delight: a baby-lover’s Code of Conduct from Kindle ? Amazon erred on the side of promoting the book and reconsidering versus banning and reconsidering. I don’t think Apple would err on an analogous side.

It’s a funny thing to contemplate that the long run of publishing-in line with the one most powerful media executive on earth who says the iPad essentially asks journalists to ” completely reimagine our craft ” -rests partially on a device and platform as tightly controlled as the iPad. A platform controlled by a corporation that can very conceivably ban books-because it has.

Though maybe it won’t! You know, again.

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This post is tagged: conventional sense, reader application, safari web browser, selling books, subscription service