No more free iPad subscriptions for print subscribers: Apple

According to a report issued Friday, a number of European newspapers have been told that after April 1, they can no longer give print subscribers free access to a print edition through the App Store. The obvious reason for this: Apple doesn't get its 30 percent cut of revenue through the App Store in these sorts of cases.

The report came first from deVolkskrant (Google Translate). Another report from NRC (Google Translate) indicated that publishers are not happy with the move, as you might expect. The move, they said, makes Apple "too dominant."

Notably, this policy change comes as Apple prepares to roll out the recurring subscription change it is making to iOS, to better support Rupert Murdoch's "The Daily." In fact, the launch of "The Daily" has been delayed as Apple is still working on the subscription model.

It also comes on the heels of dismal results for iPad magazines, as reported by WWD. It's unclear if "The Daily," and a new subscription model can resurrect periodicals on the iPad which, like the Kindle before it, was seen as a possible savior for newspapers.