Zimpapers Logo

BEIJING.
Google yesterday launched an online service for publishers to sell digital versions of newspapers and magazines, one day after rival Apple unveiled a similar plan.
“Google One Pass” allows publishers to sell content that consumers can view on websites as well as in specialised applications designed for smart phones and tablet PCs, said chief executive, Eric Schmidt, in a speech at Humboldt University in Berlin.
Publishers can charge for content in a variety of ways, including subscriptions, metered access and sales of single articles, he added.
Google’s announcement came as Apple’s similar subscription service on iTunes for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad came under fire for the size of the bite it takes from publishers.
Google will take a 10-percent share of revenue from transactions handled by the service, less than the 30 percent charged by Apple.
“Our intention is to make no money on it,” said Schmidt. “We want the publishers to make all the money.”
The iPad currently dominates the tablet computer market but a number of companies are developing tablets running Google’s Android software and the technology giants are also fierce rivals on the smartphone platform front. – Xinhuanet.