It seems that Apple has had many of these kinds of services on hold as it struggles to keep manageable the sometimes unstable tower of new technology and services it is pushing out every few months.

Most recently Apple has relaxed a lot of its App Store guidelines, and opened up the App Store review guidelines for all the world to comment on. Not to mention adding an App Store Review Board, for app Rejection Appeals. Apple seems to have even relaxed restrictions for Flash on iDevices.

Apple ticked off yet another job on their “todo” yesterday with the release of a unified iOS Beta for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad: iOS 4.2. And even added yet more new, and compelling features like AirPrint to it’s mobile OS.

And following on from that it is being reported by various newspapers that they are in talks with Apple to produce iPad app versions of their publications targeted at subscribers. Apple is expected to take 30% of these subscription model packages as its cut, and a further 40% from iAd Revenue germinated from those publications.

It occurs to me that AirPrint is a rather timely OS feature. Because if we all get newspapers on our devices we can print copies out to read, or to give to friends! I wonder if anyone has thought of that? It also occurs to me that using “Air” in any iOS apps or Apple related products could be difficult in future. But I digress..

One big bone of contention between magazines, newspapers and Apple has always been the rules around collecting user data. User data is the holy grail of any kind of targeted, ad laden media. As we all know! The rub there is that Apple has insisted on allowing users to opt out of this kind of data harvesting if they like. Chalk one up for us, the consumer, there.

Perhaps one day you’ll be reading me writing for Touch Reviews, on an iPad!

Are you interested in newspapers and magazines being delivered to your iPad, rather than your doorstep? What would you pay for this kind of product? Have your say in the comments…

Adjusting the figures from last year Apple generated about $2.00 per share, on revenues of around $10 Billion. This year the prediction is for $3.00 per share and revenues of $15 Billion.

This new accounting practice may be one reason that the markets have seen AAPL slide back to almost $240 per share today. Another may still be uncertainty over the iPhone 4 reception issue.

For those who want to listen in there is a live webcast of the event.

WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 10 Third Quarter Results Conference Call using Apple’s industry-leading QuickTime® multimedia software. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PDT on July 20, 2010 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq310/ and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter. Viewers simply need a copy of QuickTime, available for download from www.apple.com/quicktime, to listen to the conference call.

Are you expecting Apple to beat analysts expectations or fall short? Make your guess in the comments…

Apple will provide you any iPad OS software updates that it may release from time to time, up to and including the next major iPad OS software release following the version of iPad OS software that originally shipped from Apple on your iPad, for free. For example, if your iPad originally shipped with iPad 3.x software, Apple would provide you with any iPad OS software updates it might release up to and including the iPad 4.x software release. Such updates and releases may not necessarily include all of the new software features that Apple releases for newer iPad models.

Some people have been assuming that iPad OS updates, especially OS 4.0 and up, would be charged for. This is not an unreasonable assumption based on the model that Apple used for iPod updates. As many of you may know the iPod having charged updates, and the iPhone getting free ones was mostly to do with accounting regulations in the US. The difference being between a paid and subscription model for accounting sales of the devices. Recently Apple revised it’s accounting practices in line with US law, which seemed to make this distinction moot anyway though.

Anyway, what this current agreement basically says is that any updates to the iPad OS up to, and most importantly including OS 4.0, will be free. After that it’s not clear.

That doesn’t seem too bad, as I doubt we’ll see OS 4.0 until the summer at least.

Whilst the terms of their agreement doesn’t say OS 5.0 will be free. It doesn’t say it won’t be either. Although by the time OS 5.0 is on us we’ll have most likely got to a unified OS across all ‘i’ devices, and both new iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads will have been launched long before. Most likely around the time of iPhone OS 4.0

No this isn’t an April Fools post. Apple is really giving you something for free! Well at least free with the purchase of an iPad!

But Happy April Fools day anyway.