In the fall-out from Apple’s recent subscription announcement, some vendors already operating in the online billing chain could be threatened.
One of them is threatened enough to have launched its own full-scale campaign against Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Steve Jobs…
Outside Apple’s iPad 2 announcement in San Francisco, Zuora, which powers billing for Reed Business Information, Ning, GigaOm and others, handed out this flyer (zoom for detail) and launched its accompanying SaveOurPress.com, each accusing of Apple of treating publishers with contempt…
Whilst some publishers have voiced concern about Apple’s plans and others have maintained a shellshocked, confused silence, there are many billing providers in the publisher chain who could also be affected.
Zuora CEO Tien Tzuo has been on something of a crusade since Apple’s announcement. He wrote about subscriptions on paidContent.org last month.
Today, ahead of Apple’s iPad 2 announcement, which he called a “dog and pony show”, Tzuo told me: “I know some people are on the edge of their seat over ‘one camera or two?’ – but the biggest issue with the iPad 2 is how it and Apple’s Subscription Service are trying to dictate new rules for the publishing industry that could spell disaster for journalists.
“As I’ve said before, I think this is a dangerous combination. It’s now clear that musicians and app developers wish they hadn’t given the keys to Apple. But the fate of journalism and the news media? That’s something that shouldn’t be left to the iTunes model.”