Something many expatriates enjoy, is reading the newspapers they enjoyed back home. In places that are well populated by expatriates you may be lucky enough to find your favorite newspaper on the news stands. In more remote parts, the news is outdated by the time the newspaper reaches the news stand, if it every gets there at all. When we are away, most of us have to rely on reading home newspapers online. Online newspapers generally don’t include the same amount of information as the print edition, and the layout is somewhat different. Of great benefit is the fact that most online publications are updated several times a day and are free, until now that is.

Last month Apple and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation launched the Daily, an iPad newspaper that costs 99 cents per week. The Daily is a blend of the new and the old. It has great graphics, video, and twitters. On the other hand it is more like a newspaper in that it is updated daily rather than hourly and is only available in America.

Many publications have already started charging for their online content by only making the content available to those who have a print edition subscription. By charging subscribers directly, these publications are in effect bypassing Apple’s payment system.

While Apple currently rules the tablet market, the number of competitors is increasing rapidly. Which model will prevail? Time will tell.