Details of Apple’s paid-subscription model visible in iPad terms of service

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Following the launch of the Daily on Wednesday morning, Apple has released a few minor details of how its iTunes magazine and newspaper subscription model will work. The new info is visible in the ‘In-App Subscriptions’ portion of its iTunes terms and conditions.

Among the tidbits that may hearten publishers: Apple says it may ask users for permission to share some contact information (name, e-mail address and ZIP Code) with the publication ‘so it can send you marketing messages abouts its own products.’

Publishers have grumbled about Apple’s refusal, until now, to share any demographic data about readers buying iPad newspaper and magazine editions. Without direct access to their audience, publications lose a set of data that is valuable to advertisers looking to target their marketing to precise audiences.

IPad subscriptions will also automatically renew. You can cancel automatic renewal ‘by selecting Manage App Subscriptions’ in your iTunes account. And if the publisher raises the price of the subscription, your automatic renewal gets turned off.

(I didn’t see a ‘Manage App Subscriptions’ page in iTunes -- maybe it’s not up yet.)

Though Apple’s Eddie Cue didn’t offer many details of the subscription service, he did say that ‘you’ll hear an announcement very soon for other news publications. We have a great relationship with publications. We think ‘subscriptions’ is only going to help them get more customers.’

Cue also said that Apple will allow publications to sell iPad subscriptions from their own websites -- as long as they also offer it through iTunes. That accords with Apple’s policy tightening from Tuesday.

‘Rest assured, we want our customers to be able to get those publications very easily both from our device and our App Store and, obviously, from their websites or other places.’

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-- David Sarno [follow]