Google unveils One Pass, to stump Apple!

Google never fails to surprise. The search engine giant in a master stroke that could well stump rival Apple has unveiled a new payment system, ‘One Pass,’ which gives publishers flexibility over payment models and control over the digital content for which they charge and the content that is free for consumers. The announcement from Google came a day after Apple on February 15, 2011, launched a new subscription service wherein Apple will earn (read: charge) 30% commission on content (such as magazines, newspapers, video, music, etc) sold through the App Store℠. In comparison, Google said it will charge publishers commission of only 10% for contents sold across online platforms such as World Wide Web, mobiles, tablets etc, using its payment gateway, thus eliminating any need for building a third-party payment system into publishers’ sites. According to Google, One Pass also enables metered models, where a publisher can provide some content or a certain number of visits for free, but can charge frequent visitors or those interested in premium content based on the business model that the publisher prefers. 

But some experts suggest that Google’s new move may not pose much of a problem for Apple given the huge popularity of its iPad and iPod and whose subscribers are most likely to pay for digital contents on its app store. “iPhone and iPad users have been more likely to pay for apps and other content than Android users, and the Android app store was slower to thrive,” comments the influential daily, NY Times. According to Apple, App Store offers more than 350,000 apps to consumers in 90 countries, with more than 60,000 native iPad™ apps.

But never underestimate Google whose reach on Internet is unparalleled. The ease of use and the affordability factor might play a crucial role in tilting the scale in favor of Google. Who knows?

Digital content market has been evolving fast and experts feel that it is only going to explode further from hereon as new sets of portable gadgets like smart phones, tablets and other electronics devices gain popularity among aspiring youngsters and also with rising disposable incomes, globally, which would redefine the way news, music, videos and other forms of contents are consumed. This would also benefit publishers as it would help them reduce their timing to market their creations and also give greater flexibility in pricing their products based on buyers’ responses. On the other hand, it would also see the competition further intensifying among competing technology firms.

For now, we would say, Web surfers are in for watching another round of battle royale between two of technology’s best, and shall we say, ferocious, innovators.

Features of

• New revenue stream
• Purchase-once, view-anywhere functionality
• Ability to give access to existing subscribers
• Lightweight technology implementation
• Business model flexibility (e.g., subscriptions, day passes, metered access, pay-per-article, multi-issue packages)

Source: Google.com

Amy, Chief Editor

You can contact the author at: businessbanter@gmail.com