Kobo, WSJ Halt Direct Sales on Apple-Device Apps

In a pair of moves that suggest Apple Inc. is enforcing rules for selling content on its devices, Kobo Inc., the Canadian e-book retailer, and The Wall Street Journal said they will no longer sell content directly to customers through their apps for Apple devices.

Mike Serbinis, Kobo's chief executive, said Apple told Kobo that it could no longer operate its digital bookstore from its Kobo apps and had to stop selling e-books directly through them. Kobo subsequently altered the apps so that they no longer sell digital titles. Now Kobo customers who want to buy digital books via their Apple devices will have to visit kobo DOT com via Apple's Safari browser to make their purchases, a potentially more laborious process for customers used to buying e-books directly through a Kobo app. Customers will continue to be able to access and read Kobo-purchased books from their library on various Apple devices. Meanwhile, News Corp.'s Wall Street Journal, which has been circumventing Apple's payment system by providing links to its website from inside the iPad app, will soon remove all purchasing options in the app in response to Apple's new rules. People who download the app and want to subscribe will have to either call customer service or visit WSJ DOTcom.