iPad Newspaper ‘The Daily’ To Hit Europe This Summer

Rupert Murdoch’s iPad-based newspaper, The Daily, will reach the hands of European readers before the end of June, a News Corp executive has revealed.

According to Jonathan Miller, chief digital office at News Corp, the iPad-based newspaper will arrive in Western Europe “not too long from now,” although the actual release date is yet to be announced. However, according to the Financial Times, it will be available before the end of June.

The Daily has been available on a free trial in the US since its launch on 2 February. However, Miller said the digital newspaper will have its “moment of truth” next week when iPad owners will start to be charged for news content on The Daily. Apple is currently said to be finalising the online subscription model with news publishers.

The Daily is available for subscription via iTunes, where readers have to pay either $0.99 (£0.62) a week or $39.99 (£25) a year to receive news.

World’s first iPad-based newspapers

The Daily is the world’s first digital newspaper that is produced exclusively for the iPad. It is a joint venture between technology giant Apple and media conglomerate News Corp.

The paper has neither print nor web edition, as news stories will be pushed directly to subscribed iPad tablets.

According to News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch (left), the ‘iNewspaper’ will need a circulation of 800,000 subscribers to become “economically viable,” given Apple’s target of shipping 40 million iPads by the end of 2011.

“I believe every single person will eventually have one, even children,” said the media mogul.

At present, its readership is reportedly reaching “hundreds of thousands” in the US, with 5,000 iPad owners already subscribing for the one-year contract, the Guardian has revealed. Speculations are also surrounding a possible British edition being added to the title in the future.

With no printing or distribution costs, and selling at a lower price than print equivalents, industry analysts predicted The Daily should be competitive.