The first purchase I made on the iPad back in April when I received the first day delivery was to sign up for the Wall Street Journal subscription. At $3.99 per week, it is not inexpensive, but the Journal has very good content and I faithfully read it every day. I had been reading it on the Kindle but for newspaper reading, the iPad is better, so I cancelled the Kindle subscription. I then realized that my “electronic” subscription (on the web) was about to expire and I was solicited by email to renew. But wait! I have to pay to read the WSJ on the web, pay again on the iPad, pay again on the Kindle, Android, print, the next new gadget too? Yes, to all of the above. This clearly makes no sense. Many of us writing about publishing models called out for a “pay once, read anywhere” model. It seemed to be falling on deaf ears until I received the following email on the day before Thanksgiving. Publishing models of all kinds are under attack but a single subscription with ability to read on the device or devices of your choice is clearly the only rational way from a consumer perspective. Publishers will have to negotiate with Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and others and it does not make their life easier but it is the only way they can survive.

Dear Valued Subscriber,

As a valued customer of The Wall Street Journal for iPad™, you now have full access to WSJ.com and WSJ Mobile Reader, at no additional cost. To start enjoying The Journal from your mobile phone, desktop or laptop, just log in using your existing user name and password for iPad. In addition, your WSJ for iPad subscription includes full access to our new Android Tablet app, currently available on the Samsung GALAXY Tab.

Start Enjoying Full Access Now

If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service team at 877.975.2897 or [email protected].

We hope you continue to enjoy The Wall Street Journal, anytime, anywhere.

Best Regards,

The Wall Street Journal

Customer Service