• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 31, 2011

Not long after Apple introduced a subscription sales system for digital editions of magazines and newspapers, the struggle between the technology giant and publishers over revenue-sharing and consumer data continues.

And some publishers, at least, aren't bluffing. The Financial Times pulled its digital subscriptions from iTunes and the App Store, in favor of a Web-based app that allows the FT to keep more subscription revenues.

FT launched the Web-based app in June, circumventing Apple's firm grip on app subscription sales through iTunes and the App Store for devices like the iPad and iPhone. The newspaper has promoted the new Web-based app heavily, explaining: "We have launched a new, faster, more complete app for the iPad and iPhone which is available via your browser rather than from an app store. We're encouraging our readers to switch immediately to the new FT web app, as many new features and sections will be added over the coming weeks."

FT also noted multiple advantages to the consumer, including the fact that "there is no extended release process through an app store and users are always on the latest version."

The decision appears to be paying off.

Since June, the Web-based app has seen its user base soar from 100,000 to 550,000 users per week, according to PaidContent. What's more, FT is able to collect more information about these users than was available through Apple, allowing it to target future offers more precisely and provide advertisers with valuable demographic information.

If other publishers follow suit, it could be an ominous trend for Apple app sales. Discussing the advantages of HTML5, the FT site offered this prediction: "We believe that in many cases, native apps are simply a bridging solution while Web technologies catch up and are able to provide the rich user experience demanded on new platforms."