Amazon has reportedly done what Google hasn’t and landed three major publishers for the Android-powered tablet the company is expected to release during a media event on Wednesday.
Citing unnamed industry sources, AllThingsD reported that Amazon has signed on Hearst, Conde Nast and Meredith, three of four biggest magazine publishers. The fourth would be Time Inc., and those same sources said a deal wasn’t likely before Wednesday’s media event.
Time also doesn’t have an all-encompassing deal with Apple, either, preferring to sell magazines as individual apps in the App Store, rather than as subscriptions through Apple’s subscription system.
Terms of the deals are supposedly close to the 70/30 deal that Apple has worked out with all four of those magazine publishers, but AllThingsD said that there may have been some wiggle room on the publisher’s 70% and Amazon is willing to do what Apple won’t and fork over customer data to the publishers.
This has been a sore spot with publishers who want that data for marketing and reselling purposes. Apple has insisted on maintaining control over the customer transaction and has heretofore refused to hand over that data to publishers.
If the report’s sources are accurate, Amazon isn’t quite as squeamish about selling out its users.
The Kindle tablet versions of these magazines will be similar to the ones developed for iPad, but they will reportedly be tweaked for the smaller 7” display of Amazon’s tablet.
The publishers who have signed up with Apple are reportedly keen on the opportunity of having a new digital distribution point.
One unnamed source said, “You’ve got beauty and design with Apple, which we love, but with Amazon you have marketing, and ease of use. We’re very optimistic.”
The Mac Observer will be providing live coverage of the Amazon event.