Apple rolls out app subscription service for App Store, but not for games

First introduced via News Corp's The Daily, Apple has revealed it is to roll out a standardised subscription model available to all apps across the App Store.

Well, all apps apart from games, that is.

With the firm itself taking a 30 percent cut of all revenue, subscriptions will be made via the current App Store billing system, allowing users to subscribe on a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-yearly or yearly basis.

Super subscriptions?

However, the new service has already gained its critics, thanks to the rules and regulations Apple expects developers to abide by.

"Our philosophy is simple - when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing," said CEO Steve Jobs.

"We believe that this innovative subscription service will provide publishers with a brand new opportunity to expand digital access to their content onto the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone, delighting both new and existing subscribers."

Of course, while Jobs claims the new model is designed to benefit customers, ensuring they're offered the best possible deal, speculation is already rife that this might be the first step towards Apple banning the use of third party subscriptions services entirely.

Ruling the roost

It's a fear ignited by one of the restrictions already in place, which prohibits apps from linking to out-of-app websites to sign up for said subscriptions.

As such, it looks like it's going to be increasingly hard for studios to sign up subscriptions without paying Apple its 30 percent cut.

While Apple's press statement claims developers have permission to "leverage other methods for acquiring digital subscribers" - such a selling subscriptions via their website they can't do so within the app itself.

They also aren't allowed to offer any kind of discount. Whatever the price is on their website, it has to be identical to the one offered in-app.

"All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app," Jobs added.

Whether games will be added in the future is hard to say it would appear Apple is currently more intent on courting the press, as newspapers desperately search for a way to expand their readership in the digital age.

[source: Apple]