• The New York Times, Monday, January 17, 2011 1:34 PM

In a story seemingly fit for its Op-Ed pages, The New York Times argues why Apple's iPad is hardly the cure-all that many publishers were hoping for. "The industry is discovering a lesson already learned by music labels and Hollywood studios: Apple may offer new opportunities with its devices, but it exacts a heavy toll," The Times writes. "Magazine publishers argue in particular that limiting magazine sales on the iPad to single issues (except in a handful of cases) has hamstrung publishers from fully capitalizing on a new and lucrative business model."

Indeed, the vast majority of magazines now available on the iPad must be purchased per copy. What's more, customers can't have most titles "delivered." As The Times notes, "That means if consumers want to receive the magazine regularly, they would have to pay far above normal subscription rates." Adding insult to injury, Apple has declined to share consumer data with publishers, meaning that partners know nothing about the people who are buying their digital magazines. In what sounds a lot like a threat to Apple, The Times adds that, "Publishers are eagerly awaiting the development of new tablet technologies from Google, BlackBerry and others that could at least give them some leverage."

Read the whole story at The New York Times »