ExtraBITS for 7 March 2011
If you’re in need of more to read, check out John Gruber’s insightful look into Apple’s 30-percent business model along with the news that Verizon Wireless’s unlimited data plan for the iPhone will disappear in a few months.
John Gruber Analyzes Apple’s 30 Percent — Little has been more controversial of late than Apple’s subscription plan for periodicals, which retains the 70/30 split in revenues used by the App Store, and has a few contractual clauses that publishers dislike, including requiring subscription-based apps to use Apple’s subscription APIs and requiring price-matching from subscription offers outside the app. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber looks at the main arguments against Apple’s policies and concludes that, in essence, Apple is setting rules that are good for Apple, and likely good for users. Publishers?
They can either play by Apple’s rules, or not play in Apple’s sandbox.
Unlimited Plan Disappears from Verizon Wireless in Summer — Verizon Wireless told analysts, according to Fierce Wireless, that the unlimited data pricing plan with which it introduced the iPhone on its network will be replaced by tiered service this summer. This is not a surprise. One assumes that subscribers with a two-year contract, as with AT&T, will retain the unlimited option unless they opt to drop to a cheaper metered plan.