On Monday, Network World reported, an update to the New York Times iPad app caused the app to stop working for its users. This would be annoying in and of itself, but the icing on the cake is that iPad readers have to pay subscription fees starting at $20 per month to access the paper that way. Many subscribers were displeased, to say the least. and it surely did not help matters that this happened on a holiday weekend when most staff would be out of the office.
The app was fixed sometime on Tuesday, and presumably subscribers are now happier, but this points out an important rule paywall app developers need to remember: if people are paying for access, make darned sure they get what they pay for. Free riders might grumble, but paying customers will kick up an unholy fuss if they feel they are not getting their money’s worth.
(Found via Slashdot.)
