USA Today moving to iPad subscription model

News daily USA Today, a fixture in the upper ranks of the iPad free apps download rankings since Apple introduced the tablet device earlier this month, said it will move to a subscription model on July 4. Executives at parent company Gannett said they are still finalizing pricing details, and will continue testing and tweaking the application in the interim.

The USA Today app, presently sponsored by Courtyard Marriott, entered the App Store's Free Apps countdown for iPad at number four--speaking on Gannett's Q1 earnings call, CEO Craig Dubow said the app already tops 175,000 downloads. "We're excited by it," Dubow said, but added "Let's not get ahead of ourselves--two weeks is not much time to evaluate a trend."

Last year, USA Today publisher David Hunke expressed regret that the newspaper decided to make its iPhone application available for free. "I'm not sure we realized what we had," Hunke said. "I think that's a value readers will be willing to pay for."

For more on USA Today's iPad pricing plans:
- read this Business Insider article

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