Instead of a web site, mobile Safari visitors are greeted with a landing page that displays an iPad and instructions related to downloading the NYP’s App Store app. As AppleInsider notes, this new page replaces a “welcome” ad promoting the app that would eventually allow visitors to proceed to the full web site experience.
To access that full experience now you’ll have to plunk down $US6.99/month, $US39.99 for six months, or $US79.99 for the full year.
Stinks for mobile Safari users, and the process is indicative of the ways in which newspapers will try and squeeze money out of certain subsets of Internet denizens, but a rag has to get paid, right?
In related news, blogger Dave Winer says the practice is “breaking the web” and that Apple is probably pretty pissed about the whole ordeal. He suggests they grant users the ability to “hide” what kind of device they’re surfing the web with so that desperate for subscriptions because they gave away free content for so many years print newspapers can’t pull this anymore. [AppleInsider]
Frank Egal
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 9:05 AMI noticed that my WP7 device could access the website.
This is all very funny, comming from someone who has never had an apple product and never will :)
humor police
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:29 AMsorry, you’re not actually funny.
Pauly7
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 10:46 AMThe Atomic Web app allows you to identify as other browsers, NYP shows fine on my iPhone using it.
Xuchiex
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 3:10 PMWorking fine with 360 Browser on my iPhone
Adam
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 6:24 PMI’m looking at the site right now on mobile Safari on my iPhone. Works fine.
Franz
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 8:31 PMput about:useragent in the address bar and choose desktop to get back your rights.