Magazine still skeptical of iPad adoption

Web magazine Slate has launched a native iPad application. The app is intended to better format content for the tablet, for instance by allowing offline reading, a touch-oriented interface and in-app access to videos and podcasts. Podcasts can play in the background while a person is reading other material.

The deputy editor of Slate, Julia Turner, notes that for the next "couple of months" at least, the app will be sponsored by Marriott. The magazine has been generally hesitant to embrace the iPad; editor-in-chief Jacob Weisberg has cautioned publishers against being too enthusiastic, and continues to support the idea avoiding dependence on apps. "We offer a great experience for the web and the browser and we also want to present our content to people who want a downloadable app. I don’t know how this world is going to evolve, but we want to have bets on both sides," he says.

"I’m still skeptical, it’s all still up in the air, but a great app is a great app and I think we’ve got a great app," Weisberg adds. Turner notes that future versions of the app should allow people to comment on articles.

by MacNN Staff