Paywall Blocks iPad Users from NYPost, Forcing A Subset of Users to Pay for Its Content

The New York Post has a new pay wall targeting iPad safari users and directing them to download a $6.99/month app.
Blogger Dave Winer writes, The solution is completely obvious. Apple could stop sending back information to the servers that identify me as an iPad user. Or give me a way to edit that information. I'll tell them I'm using an Atari 800 or an Data General/One. Or maybe an Apple IIgs. Anything but an iPad. Stop the madness now! Please.

However, according to AppleInsider, the feature was designed to allow developers to target iPad Safari users.

Apple unveiled the in-app subscriptions feature for iOS earlier this year, drawing heavy criticism for rules that were deemed anticompetitive. Last week, Apple backed down on a rule that required in-app prices to be 'at the same price or less' than those offered outside the app.

Does the App Make More Money for Apple or for the Developer?

30% of revenue from the store go to Apple, and 70% go to the producer of the app.

The Apple store has generated $1.43B total revenues over 2 years, with $1B paid to developers. This looks good, but for the average app developer, the numbers don't look as good, according to industry watcher/blogger Tomi T. Ahonen.

The development of the typical app cost $35,000 and the median paid app earns $682 dollars per year after Apple took its cut.

At 10:26 AM GMT on Saturday, January 22, 2011,the 10 billionth app was downloaded from Apple App Store. The mean revenue per application is estimated to be US$8,700, although data is not publicly available.