How much would you be willing to pay to use iPad content in your leisure time?
As the release of the iPad draws closer, publishers are starting to discuss how much they should charge. Should iPad users pay the same amount as a monthly subscription to have a newspaper delivered to their door?
There are people in the industry who believe a digital version should cost about as much as the print delivery because otherwise people will cancel their real "physical" subscription.
Ebook prices are usually about as much as a paperback version; Amazon charges, for example, no more than $9.99 or £6.28. However, Amazon was recently forced to pull all Macmillan titles after the publisher insisted the price should be higher — between $12.99 and $14.99.
Digital converts on the other hand are afraid that high pricing would kill the chances of a rich version as iPad distribution comes with none of the paper's delivery costs; furthermore, there is already a free digital version online.
According to Gawker, the issue is being debated at the New York Times. Split into two opposing camps, the side that wants to prevent print from being harmed prefers a higher price range of $20 to $30 per month for a subscription of the company's forthcoming iPad app, while the digital camp price concept is located in the lower price range of $10.
In comparison, the monthly Kindle subscription of the New York Times costs about $27.99 while the regular monthly home delivery is about $45; the Times Reader which is said to be a pre-version of the Times iPad app costs $14.95 per month.
However, people's reading habits might not mean that cost is an issue. Paying a price puts a value on it, and people like to treat themselves.
How much would you pay for an iPad? Have your say below.
