'Hulu for Magazines' to Launch in Early 2011 for Android
Rumors of a "Hulu for magazines" service have been around for ages. The company behind it all, Next Issue Media, says that they'll be offering this service early next year, but there's a catch.
According to AllThingsDigital, Next Issue Media's CEO Morgan Guenther said they will only make the magazines available to Google Android users at launch.
Next Issue Media isn't having problems coding for other platforms, they simply think Android is "a very important tablet platform, and a very important platform for smartphones." That doesn't explain why the company won't have a version for one of the best selling smartphones (iPhone) and the best selling tablet (iPad). Guenther didn't indicate when an Apple-friendly version would be available.
Some of the difficulty seems to stem from Apple itself, which apparently doesn't want to share information about those who would get magazines from iTunes. With Android, publishers can cut out the middle man and sell directly to consumers.
So far the exact business plan for the "Hulu for magazines" isn't clear, but it involves bringing a large number of publications into one place for mobile device users, similar to how Hulu brought many TV shows into one place for computer users. Publishers would likely be able to set prices, offer free items and make promotions within the system. A firm launch date has not been set.
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