Victory in the Ricochet iPad Battle
I am claiming victory in the Love Your iPad versus Kill Your iPad contretemps lately raging here on Ricochet. Rupert Murdoch, one of the best business minds of the age, is on my side, so I rest my case:
"Initial expectations that (Apple) would sell a few million (iPads) will fall way short of the mark,'' Mr Murdoch said.
"It looks like they will sell around 15 million iPads this calendar year and more than 40 million by 2012.
More importantly, Murdoch claims his own victory: News Corporation's new pay-for-content business model is working.
"It's going to be a success. Subscriber levels are strong. We are witnessing the start of a new business model for the internet.
"The argument that information wants to be free is only said by those who want it for free,'' Mr Murdoch said.
Well, Newsweek is pretty much free as an enterprise. But I still prefer paying for my WSJ iPad app.
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Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Victory in the Ricochet iPad Battle
It also helps if you know what you're doing. If you're on the street, selling ice tea in February, and hot chocolate in August--the Newsweek model--you may want to tinker with your formula.
May '10
Re: Victory in the Ricochet iPad Battle
If only we could post to Ricochet using our iPads. I am assured that a fix is in the works.
May '10
Re: Victory in the Ricochet iPad Battle
Well, that formula was developed in Australia....
May '10
Re: Victory in the Ricochet iPad Battle
Murdoch is doing something very simple in both his observations on the iPad and the WSJ business model. Something simple and yet many newspaper and magazine publishers miss it. What "works" on the bottom line is not what you want but what consuming public wants. Whatever the opinions of this blogger or that reviewer, Murdoch has noticed that a lot of people seem to like what Apple is selling. We really don't know if Rupert likes the device or thinks it is a "good thing", we just know that he recognizes that it is selling well. That's the important distinction.
When the publishers and editors of Newsweek craft a magazine around their own interests and opinions, they can count on selling well amongst themselves and their close friends. All these folks know the adage, "content is king," but they fail to see that the term quality content is not defined by their taste but the demand of the public. The WSJ clearly provides content that many people think worth a fee.
May '10
Re: Victory in the Ricochet iPad Battle
Mr. Murdoch is the one hoping that the consuming public shares his desires. He may be able to keep an excellent and unique product like the WSJ behind a subscriber wall because of a certain market presence, but he is not going to pull the rest of the world with him. I will bet all of you that daily news will be ubiquitously available in five or ten years on-line, just as it is today, with only certain niche products able to demand subscriptions.
The internet is going to look like the London newspaper business, most of which are given away near the Tube stations, and just a few special products sold. The NYP will not be restricted on-line unless he prefers that it not be read.
Jul '10
Re: Victory in the Ricochet iPad Battle
Agreed. Britney Spears sold 100 million records worldwide. Does that make her good?