New and exciting news for those of you interested in iPad apps! Bloomberg Businessweek has just re-configured its iPad app to allow three free articles, in effect launching a metered paywall on the most convenient digital platform for consumer magazines.
Now, instead of committing to a monthly or annual subscription, prospects can download the current issue’s app to access a table of contents and view three articles. All other articles remain locked unless the user pays $29.99 a year or $2.99 a month.
This development can be revolutionary for publishers. As discussed in the Case Study on Popular Science on Subscription Site Insider, discovery and trial terms can be a problem for iPad apps sold through Apple’s Newsstand. Metered access might be a good solution to this.
On a slightly tangential note, Bloomberg also included a video tour of its iPad app on its website. We thought we’d embed it here since it’s one of the most engaging and fun app tours we’ve seen.