They will lose its shine
I have several customers in the pole, yoga and spa markets who have gone down the bargain coupon and other discount site approaches and initially they get loads of "customers" all paying £20 for a months free fitness or yoga or whatever.
But the problem is the step up to a proper paying product is too great and the conversion rate is less than 3%! The ROI is non existent once you take all the factors into account.
Bargain website users are loyal to the bargains because they can get a £100 monthly pass to a fitness business for £20, what this does is fill the business up and piss off the existing clients and after they have had there fill, like a swarm of locusts they are off to the next business dumb enough to flog a month for peanuts.
What people also forget with Apple as Chas manages to show so "elequently" is that Apple products sell because the App store is well stocked, but from a business perspective are you going to sell a high value subscription through an app when Apple are taking 30% of every payment simply because you have an app you advertise yourself that clients can buy online with? On a £100 a month membership thats £360 over the year!
What has also been missed is that Club members are viewing "subscribed content" on the apps they get from the club/facility so according to the new rules they have to have an option to purchase the same in app as well. YOu have to wonder if that doesnt also apply to mobile phone companies who give free apps to subscribers?
What will happen and is already happening is that business's with high value of subscriptions wont use an app and wont populate the app store. I have just had several large customers cancel app development due to the in app purchase clause, it isnt worth there while to make life easier for iPhone owners and pay for the privelege at the same time.
Those projects being canned now mean that an iPhone app developer doesnt get paid and loses work as a result.
What Chas has missed is that the iPhone ecosystem only exists thanks to the developers and now Apples in app purchase policy is a show stopper for many business, both big and small who had previously supplied apps to Apple for free, end results, less apps and a move back to a web based platform approach and the rebirth of WAP 2.0!