“The Times Reader is a great next step in melding the readability and portability of the newspaper with the interactivity and immediacy of the Web,” said Sulzberger at the American Society of Newspaper Editors convention last April.

This is the extract from the interview:

“Also, the Times signed a deal with Microsoft to distribute the paper through a software program called Times Reader, Sulzberger says. The software enables users to conveniently read the paper on screens, mainly laptops.

‘I very much believe that the experience of reading a paper can be transferred to these new devices.’ Will it be free? No, Sulzberger says. If you want to read the New York Times online, you will have to pay.”

The NYT has been working on the Times Reader with Microsoft’s Window Vista, and it should be available for download later this year.

“We’re still working on this and haven’t announced anything at this point. There are several different approaches we’re looking at,” said a Times’ spokeswoman.

Although nothing is official, the decision to make customers pay for the Times Reader sounds controversial. The Times is probably working on a business model to maximize revenues from the combination of TimesSelect subscribers, print subscribers, and online readers.

It could also be yet another sign of Times’ focus on digital operations, now trying to reap the fruits of its online services.

Source: Paidcontent.org – Ha’aretz