Google launches content payment service One Pass
Just one day after Apple launched its new content subscription system, Google introduced its Google One Pass micropayment system yesterday evening. The service enables publishers that sign up to set the terms for access to their digital content.
Google One Pass takes a purchase-once, view-anywhere functionality so that users have access to the content they buy across all of their devices.
According to Google, the new service "lets publishers focus on creating high quality content for their readers." Speaking at the launch, Google's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said Google One Pass "is currently intended for periodicals, such as news and magazines, but is a flexible payment system that can be used for many other types of content."
Powered by Google Checkout, One Pass meets publishers' e-commerce and payment processing needs, as well as lets publishers have control of how users pay to access their content and set their own prices; content subscriptions could be anything from day passes or access to individual articles to multiple-issue packages.
As more players enter the paid content market, Apple's decision to charge 30% for content-based apps sold through its App Store angered many publishers. As we noted yesterday, there is a huge debate in the publishing industry over the effectiveness and business model of iPad app magazines, and with Google taking a mere 10% cut of the revenue from transactions handles, it will be interesting to see how many publishers decide to jump ship and join Google's new endeavour.
