In an effort to tap the mobile platform for revenue, Australian media group Fairfax has unveiled iPhone apps based on the subscription model for its newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Today and WAToday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday.

While most newspaper publishers have opted for a one-off fee payment system, the Fairfax group is the first publisher to have launched an iPhone app based on the subscription model, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Readers can download the apps from the Apple iTunes store at a monthly charge of $2.49 and those who opt for subscriptions over a six-month period are entitled to a 15 percent discount, and therefore will pay only $12.99.

Image: AdNews Australia

"It's the first move by Fairfax Media to charge for its online news content on a mobile phone," Brian McCarthy, chief executive at the Fairfax group, was quoted by The Australian as saying. "The development of the apps is a milestone in our ongoing strategy around the delivery of content through digital platforms."

While providing more than limited content available on the company's mobile-based sites, the iPhone app will offer users with equal volume of content as found on the newspaper websites, with the ability to customise and personalise news on their mobile devices, according to AdNews Australia.

This move by the media group comes amidst changes to The Australian's iPad app to be introduced soon. The upgrades currently under development in association with Apple, include addition of a new photo gallery, the newspaper's editorial and letters loaded in the application as well as the newspaper's Higher Education, Features, Arts and Property sections on iPad, The Australian reported yesterday. News Limited, publisher of The Australian also hinted that the news site will begin charging for content online across its mastheads, next year.

While indicating current development of apps for other smartphones, the Fairfax group proclaimed that its news sites attract more than 1.1 million users, with a majority of them accessing news on iPhone, Sydney Morning Herald reported.