As for DRM, it’s just a false security blanket that publishers think they need to cling to. It doesn’t stop piracy, and in the long run doesn’t appeal to consumers. Look at the music industry. Yes, they did fine with DRM’ed music, but did even better with non-DRM’ed songs. DRM only hurts the honest consumers not the pirates. And no one’s asking for putting everything up for free online, just be reasonable about whatever they do chose to put up.

However, they seem to be less restrictive of stuff purchased through in-app purchases than stuff which is available in the actual body of the app. (Although Viz’s offerings so far are only 16+ and lower, so we’ll see if they ever go 18+) And DRM-protected products with in-app purchases are a very successful business model at the moment. Marvel, Comixology, tons of comic companies are using DRM with in-app purchases because they’re just a more reliable way to make money than putting everything online for free and crossing your fingers that people will buy the book just because. (It may work for 1% of webcomics artists, but it hasn’t really worked for manga so far.)

The problem I have with Viz’s model of killing chapters online after the print volumes come is that for people who come late to a series has no way to sample it. I think at least the first volume should be kept online. It takes more than one chapter to figure if a series is good or appeals.

Depending on how Viz handles the supplimentary material, it might be interesting, and might be evolutionary, but with the conservative nature of Viz and Japanese publishers, I highly doubt it.

For argument’s sake, I might read manga on the ipad if I had one (presuming I wanted one, which I don’t). There’s just no reason to pay for it if it’s already released in print. If it were online exclusive, then there’s more of a reason to buy it.

Viz should use the same model for Jump as they do with Shonen Sunday and Sigikki by releasing the chapters for free online, then cutting them when the print volume comes out.

I don’t see piracy diminishing this announcement. All piracy did was put manga on the web, which Viz has done quite successfully (I hope). Going for a restrictive, walled-garden platform that wants to tell you want you can and can’t read is not impressive.

I’m glad to see that steps are going forward to some digital strageties for Japanese titles, but I’d like to see more steps forward than back.

I try to support any online inititive manga companies take on, even if I don’t own the hardware to make it work. I currently have a Wii, my phone is Windows Mobile 6.5, and if I get an e-book reader, I’m leaning toward the Nook Color. But bringing manga to the iPad exclusively? Sorry, that is one thing I can not support.

Of course, as someone who owned a Sega Dreamcast, a Nintendo 64 and an old Mac in the ’90s, I’m used to seeing software I want come out for platforms I don’t have.