iPad rival WePad signs deal with Europe's biggest publisher

Tue Mar 30 2010, 17:31 PM

A German competitor to the iPad is picking up momentum as it attempts to steal a march on Apple's much-hyped device. The Android-based device, called the WePad, has already agreed a distribution deal with Europe's biggest publisher. The deal with Gruner + Jahr is especially significant because Apple is scrambling to secure enough media content partnerships before its launch next week.  

Deal Details

The WePad is manufactured by Neofonie and the company's CEO, Helmut Hoffer von Ankershoffen, says the device will be significantly cheaper than the iPad. The WePad will run Flash, allow complete multitasking and have a webcam, all features currently lacking from the soon-to-be released iPad. Apps will be available on the WePad via the Android Marketplace and the upcoming WePad AppStore.  

Gruner + Jahr is going to any lengths to help drive the WePad's adoption, in an attempt to create a platform that can effectively compete with the iPad. The CEO of Gruner + Jahr, Bernd Buchholz, says the company is "in talks with nearly all big and small German publishers, also with [our big competitors] Springer and Burda".  

German publishers are particularly keen for the WePad to succeed because they are unhappy with the overbearing influence Apple exerts over its mobile content partners. There was an outcry from the Association of German Magazine Publishers when Apple removed Stern magazine's iPhone app due to concerns about partial nudity. The association's CEO, Wolfgang Fuerstner, said such actions could represent a move towards censorship.  

Buchholz announced his company's partnership with the WePad at a company press conference last week. Neofonie was not planning on making official announcements about WePad parnerships until April 12