In an effort to deter the freeloaders who have been accessing the New York Post for free on their iPad through the NYPost.com website, the company has now blocked mobile Safari — directing readers to the subscription-only iPad app instead.
Visitors who navigate to NYPost.com through mobile Safari on the iPad are now be greeted by a page that reads:
Thanks for coming! NYPOST.com editorial content is now only accessible on the iPad through the New York Post App. If you are a current New York Post App subscriber, please visit the App Store and download the latest version to access NYPOST.com through the INDEX. If you are not a current New York Post App user and would like to subscribe, please download from the App Store. Thank you.
Access to the NYPost through the application, however, comes at a price: A monthly subscription will set you back $6.99, six months is priced at $39.99, and 12 months access is $79.99 — with no option to purchase individual issues.
Despite blocking mobile Safari, it seems you can still access the site from third-party browsers such as Mercury, Opera Mini, and Terra for the time being — and it continues to work on Android Honeycomb tablets.
Will this encourage iPad users to sign up to pay for access to the NYPost, or will the move simply dissuade iPad readers from the publication altogether?
[via AppleInsider]
