Keller also acknowledged that the newspaper’s staff feels “a little paralysed by the unresolved question of pay versus free” when it comes to the development of online content.

While companies such as Amazon.com would be pressured by Apple striking deals with newspapers and other media outlets to port content onto devices through the iTunes store, an Apple tablet PC would also present a challenge to Microsoft. In events surrounding last week’s release of Windows 7, Microsoft has been taking particular care to promote the multi-touch capabilities of its new operating system, in addition to the new touch-screen devices being produced by its manufacturing partners.