Hulu for iPad Likely to Be a Paid Subscription Service

Friday February 19, 2010 11:04 AM EST
Written by Eric Slivka

Mac Rumors
Last week, a report that video site Hulu might be making its way to the iPad generated a significant amount of interest, with many users excited about the prospect of free access to television content on Apple's forthcoming tablet device. MediaMemo reports, however, that iPad access to Hulu is more likely to come as part of a paid subscription package than as free access like the computer-based version of the site.

Hulu and its owners -- three of the big broadcast TV networks -- want to bring some version of the Web video service to Apple's device.

But the most likely scenario is one where access to Hulu on the iPad comes as part of a subscription package, multiple people familiar with the company tell me.
Hulu has in the past noted that it is looking for a way to introduce paid content to its offerings, and today's report indicates that company executives may be thinking that the best way to achieve that goal while preserving the free experience for computer-based users is to charge for mobile-based content such as that which would appear on the iPad.

And while you could argue that the iPad isn't necessarily a mobile device, since 3G Internet access is an optional feature, Hulu and its owners are likely to classify it as one. Like many other content owners, the video service sees the device as an opportunity to charge for something it has been giving away for free on the Web.
Aside from the previously-documented hurdle Hulu faces with its current video player being Flash-based and Apple's mobile devices not supporting the standard, the company would also need to secure mobile rights from content providers before being able to offer such a service to the iPad and other mobile platforms.

Consequently, the report concludes that Hulu for the iPad is unlikely to launch alongside the device itself next month, but users can probably expect in some form, likely paid, in the future.

Apple's iPad to be released April 3
By Doug Gross, CNN
March 5, 2010 12:12 p.m. EST

* Company will take orders for the tablet-style computer starting March 12
* Steve Jobs calls half-inch, 1.5 pound computer "magical and revolutionary"
* iPad will be released in other countries in late April

(CNN) -- Apple's eagerly anticipated iPad will be available in the United States on April 3, the company said Friday.

Wi-Fi models of the tablet-style computer will go on sale that Saturday, while ones with Wi-Fi and 3G networks will be released later in the month.

Customers can start pre-ordering the iPad on Apple's online store on March 12.

"iPad is something completely new," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a Friday post on the company's Web site. "We're excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."

Unveiled on January 27, theiPad is designed to act as a sort of "missing link" between the smartphone and the laptop computer.

It has a nearly 10-inch screen, runs existing apps from the Apple apps store and is available in 16-gigabyte, 32-gigabyte and 64-gigabyte versions. It's a half-inch thick and weighs a pound-and-a-half.

Prices start at $499 for the 16-gigabyte version, $599 for the 32-gig version and $699 for the 64, Jobs said at the company's glitzy announcement in San Francisco, California.

The iPad will be released in late April in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, Apple said in the post on its site.

Prices in those countries will be announced in April and iPad will ship in additional countries later this year.