Stop the presses! It may finally be safe to charge for the content you used to give away!
It seems the arrival of the iPad has brought with it a substantial change of heart for many mobile device users who once adamantly refused to pay for any mobile content that wasn’t practically essential for the continuation of life as they knew it.
Now, with the successful development and launch of the iPad, a great many tablet owners are realizing that you truly get what you pay for in the world of digital content. And, best of all, most of it isn’t all that expensive.
Until now, many publishing outlets, for example, have reluctantly toyed with the idea of subscription-based content models. But in recent weeks, a plethora of giants in their industry – including the likes of USA Today and the Wall Street Journal – have plunged head first into a subscription based model for their digital content. And, thus far, upon word of such publishing heavyweights making the transition to a paid subscription service, there have been no reports of riots in the streets, iPad returns, or a massive uprising of the world’s mobile device owners.
One of the biggest factors contributing to the growing acceptance of paid subscription content is the pace with which content providers are optimizing their platforms for Apple devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, and now the iPad. Last fall’s Olswang Convergence Survey revealed that iPhone users, in particular, demonstrated the greatest willingness to embrace premium subscriptions to access a wide variety of content.
So as the major (and even minor) players in media, entertainment, and publishing continue to move full steam ahead with premium subscription services, it appears mobile users ultimately won’t drag their feet so dramatically along the ride.