Jimmy Wales – founder of Wikipedia, one of the most popular websites in the world – believes mobile apps may finally give news providers a successful way of charging for digital content.

An Associated Press (AP) article cites Wales as stating in an interview: “The apps model – the iPad app, the Kindle – does provide new and interesting opportunities for newspapers. If I just click on my iPad, and it’s billed on my normal bill, that micropayment model makes it possible for people to have an impulse purchase.”

Wales’ comments come as newspaper and magazine publishers have been charging on a subscription basis for content on Amazon.com’s Kindle e-readers. The AP article notes that many publishers are experimenting with a system that lets people download an app, then pay for each new issue.

Indeed, while Wales is optimistic about people’s willingness to pay for content through dedicated apps, he is sceptical about newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and The Times of London charging for content on websites. He told AP that charging for desktop Web access, where there is no payment system as convenient as a mobile phone bill, would remain a challenge.