Time Inc. and Others Create New Digital Storefront

Several top magazine and newspaper publications have joined forces to develop a new digital newsstand.  Yesterday Time Inc, News Corp. Hearst, Meredith and Conde Nast announced their plans to create standards for a digital storefront that would be optimized for smartphones and other types of gadgets.

“For the consumer, this digital initiative will provide access to an extraordinary selection of engaging content products, all customized for easy download on the device of their choice, including smartphones, e-readers and laptops,” explained John Squires, the venture’s interim managing director. “Once purchased, this content will be ‘unlocked’ for consumers to enjoy anywhere, anytime, on any platform.”

Essentially this will be an app store for magazines and the question is how well will this be received on the BlackBerry?  With the amount of free apps on the market like the new Time Magazine app it’s hard to imagine many BlackBerry owners shelling out dough for some digital reading.  It will however be more successful on other digital devices like e-readers and laptops.  So why don’t they just add their magazines to BlackBerry App World or Apple’s App Store?  TechCrunch suggests this is because they want your personal data and we think they are spot on.