Back when Apple released the iPad in the spring of 2010, it was quickly hailed as an antidote to the publishing industry’s waning advertising revenue and its circulation woes. But those hopes quickly faded as Apple proved itself unmovable on two main issues key to publishers. Publishers hoping to sell subscriptions and single copies through Apple’s iTunes store had to cede control over information about their customers—data they consider critical to renewing and upselling their readers. A secondary objection was the 30 percent cut Apple took.
“I don't get the impression that Steve Jobs and Tim Cook disagree on this issue,”...
