Whatever reservations Hearst had about agreeing to Apple's strict stipulations for iPad subscriptions have apparently been addressed as the magazine publisher has committed to selling iTunes subscriptions for three of its major mags.
Starting July, iPad owners will be able to subscribe to Esquire, Popular Mechanics and O, The Oprah Magazine and receive automatic monthly app updates. Subscriptions for the magazine cost $1.99 per month or $19.99 for an entire year. According to the WSJ, the publisher will eventually make more of its newspaper apps and other content available through iTunes subscriptions.
Apple will receive 30 percent of all App Store sales, which, per its rules, must be the same price or lower than digital content sold elsewhere by Hearst. Initially this deal was a sticking point for publishers along with Apple's reluctance to share reader data, but the WSJ says that publishing executives have become more confident that Apple's terms can still allow for a profitable arrangement.
