Apple Rumored To Be Working On Newsstand

We’ve been hearing rumors of Apple’s plans for a newsstand app for quite some time, and now the WSJ is reporting that not only is Apple courting publishers, but Google’s trying to get in on the deal too. According to their sources, Apple is ready to change things to suit the print companies:

Apple, meanwhile, is readying several changes in iTunes to address publishers’ frustrations with the online store, according to people familiar with the matter. Among the changes, Apple would make it easier for publishers to sell subscriptions on iTunes, in addition to single issues, with Apple keeping 30% of the tab.

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Apple is planning to share more data about who downloads a publisher’s app, information publishers can use for marketing purposes. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple would ask consumers who subscribe to an iPad version of a magazine or newspaper for permission to share personal information about them, like their name and email address, with the publisher.

From my — admittedly limited — understanding of the issue, the publishers want to be able to discount long-term subscriptions like they do in print, and they want more access to purchasers information — a long source of revenue when sold to advertisers.