According to the European version of Techcrunch, the iPad may have some real competition in Germany – the WePad, which will be released soon. Formal announcement of the hardware and media partnerships will be made on April 12.
The WePad has signed up Europe’s biggest publisher, Gruner + Jahr, and is in talks with Axel Springer, publisher of Europe’s biggest newspaper, Bild.
The underlying strategy is clear: “We insist on our sovereignity of products and contents”, Buchholz said in his Thursday’s speech, clearly hinting at recent problems. Apple removed the Stern iPhone app in November without warning from the App Store due to objections over photo galleries featuring too much nakedness. The Association of German Magazine Publishers (VDZ) warned that such intrusions might represent a move towards censorship.
German publishers are also disgruntled with Apple’s pricing policy. Buchholz said they need to “get in charge of pricing”. Apple’s regulations have the absurd side effect that an iPhone version of Germany’s most important news magazine, Der Spiegel, will cost more than the print version. Its price will soon jump to €3.99, after the €2.99 introductory offer is over, while the paper sells for €3.80.
