Filed under: Rumors
Did an NYT editor let the 'Slate' slip?
There's a loud buzzing this morning, and it's not just the hangover from late-night celebrations of the Yankees' pennant win; quite a few tech and Mac sites (we heard it first from Edible Apple, although it's really everywhere now) are reporting on week-old remarks from the New York Times executive editor, Bill Keller, that were supposed to remain off-the record -- and of course are now playing on video all across the web.If you look at the transcript of his chat, or the 8:20 mark in the video, you'll see him refer to delivery of journalism to mobile platforms, and then he mentions the "impending Apple slate."
Is this a simple moment of wishful thinking for Keller, or is it linked to the presumptive starring role that daily newspapers would play on the hypothetical Apple wundergadget? I can't wait to find out.
Read on to see the video.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
signsTheMovie said 10:42AM on 10-26-2009
Well, what is true, I suppose, is that Apple has amassed expertise in delivering media locked up to portable devices. And that the Economist had a report from back a few months that (from memory - sorry it's too far away right now) that a large proportion of surveyed newspapers planned to lock down their web content within 18 months. None of that proves anything though.
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jennyp said 10:45AM on 10-26-2009
Reinvention of the book?
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Jordan said 11:22AM on 10-26-2009
The books already been re-invented, many times, on ebook readers. Apple's will be no different, but fangirls will believe it's better
DrWho said 12:09PM on 10-26-2009
Wow why so bitter Jordan?
Jordan said 12:12PM on 10-26-2009
I'm not bitter, I'm just saying the books already been re-invented. Just because Apple may be releasing an ebook reader doesn't mean they're going to re-invent it again. Maybe they will, I'm not saying they won't, but as it stands right now, the books already been re-invented.
Frank said 12:13PM on 10-26-2009
@Jordan - people like you pooh-poohed the ipod and iphone, too.
Jordan said 1:09PM on 10-26-2009
The ipod and iphone had never been done before. If Apple can come up with a way to re-invent books again, then I will admit to it, but I'm not sure they can this time.
Sean said 7:37PM on 10-26-2009
yeah, both had been done before. Creative had the top selling MP3 player at the time and Windows Mobile and Palm were around well before the iPhone....Apple just did it better :)
Tacoman said 10:47AM on 10-26-2009
Wow, I love the name "Slate".
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Frank said 12:16PM on 10-26-2009
me too - as in "a clean slate", perhaps?
: )
but i also think that maybe he's referring to "apple's slate", as in "product(s) apple might have on its to-do list... you know, just in case they have something in the works..."
captain said 10:52AM on 10-26-2009
Well he certainly seems to be casually referencing something I have no idea about... so whomever he was talking to must also know about it...
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Noah said 10:55AM on 10-26-2009
The Apple Slate. I like it too! Much better than the iPad or iTablet. Bleh!
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Philster said 11:06AM on 10-26-2009
Hard to believe that a bonafide News man would be so sloppy or careless with discussion based on "wishful thinking."
Easy to believe the Times would casually let a juicy nugget slip during an "internal" presentation in order to get attention.
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jb510 said 11:08AM on 10-26-2009
I don't see how one could call this a "slip". Everyone knows something is comming, people call it all sorts of things from ipad to itablet. Is the issue here that he came up with a new name? One which contradicts all the previously leaked names? Even though I'm certainly anapple fan I think way too many people get hung up on minutae...
Personally I am looking forward to a large iPod touch which i can carry around with me when output is far more important than input. I'll prop it up in the kitchen with recipes displayed while I cook, take it to the coffee shop when I want to read the paper, lie with it in the hammock when I want to read a novel...
I do hope content providers step up the resolution on what they provide, I was trying to read a magazine on zinio yesterday and was deeply disappointed in how little I could zoom in on images.
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mbcc said 11:15AM on 10-26-2009
Does no-one else think that he's referring generally to Apple's 'upcoming slate of products' rather than a specific one device?
mark said 11:21AM on 10-26-2009
You don't need to wait, you can do all that with a Kindle, et al right now.
Janichsan said 3:40PM on 10-26-2009
"Does no-one else think that he's referring generally to Apple's 'upcoming slate of products' rather than a specific one device?"
Yes, me. I just wanted to post the same but you were faster.
Whurm said 11:19AM on 10-26-2009
Slate is a type of tablet. A tablet with out a keyboard. Like motioncomputing.com computers.
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Wooster said 11:19AM on 10-26-2009
Hmm, iSlate, Apple Slate, Slate.... I could get behind that. Much catchier then iTablet or the related variations.
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Jordan said 11:19AM on 10-26-2009
"Did an NYT..."
Considering this is a post about a newspaper company, maybe TUAW should check their grammar...
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