The Financial Times Skips iTunes With New iOS Web App

The business publication leap-frogged Apple's subscription system.

Though it has recently won support from big name publishers like Hearst and Conde Nast, lots of folks in the industry are still loathe to embrace Apple's new system for selling subscriptions to magazine and newspaper apps via the app store, which involves skimming a hefty 30 percent off the top of revenues. The international and influential Financial Times, long known for its independent streak, has taken the bold step of cutting Apple out of its iOS distribution plan all together. They've created an HTML 5 web app customized for the iPad and iPhone that works just like an app, even downloading articles for offline reading, but doesn't come from the App Store.

As HTML 5 web apps become more sophisticated and more prevalent, Apple could have a tough time keeping certain kinds of activity restrained to the traditional app environment. Watch a brief clip of FT's App Store-free solution above.

[All Things D]

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