Apple is going to kill off its Newsstand app for iOS and replace it with a Flipboard-style news reader, according to a new report. The new service will be free, and it is expected to feature sample content from partners like The New York Times, ESPN, and Conde Nast.
The free content will be ad-supported, and publishers will keep 100% percent of the advertising revenue they make from the app, sources familiar with Apple’s plans have told Recode. They’ll also be able to sell their own ads, and Apple will help sell unsold ad spaces in return for a cut of the earnings.
Partners who currently sell content through Newsstand — and plan to continue selling subscriptions and individual issues — will be able to offer dedicated magazine and newspaper apps through the App Store like any other iOS developers, Recode adds.
These apps will be subject to the same 30% cut of revenue Apple charges for other content sold through its digital marketplaces.
Newsstand made its debut with iOS 5 back in 2011, but it isn’t exactly loved by all. Many iPhone and iPad users don’t use it and wish they could delete the app, while some publishers have criticized it for burying their content, Recode says.
Apple’s new app will likely make its debut in iOS 9, which will be previewed during Apple’s WWDC keynote this morning.
