New York Times releases free - for now - iPad app

(Apple)

The New York Times unveiled a new application for Apple's iPad on Friday, offering it for free, for now, but with plans to start charging for it early next year.

The "NYTimes App for iPad," available from Apple's App Store, replaces a previous application, the "Editors' Choice App," which offered only a limited selection from the newspaper.

The Times Co. said it will start charging for the new iPad application when it begins making readers pay early next year for full access to the newspaper's website, NYTimes.com. Pricing details have not yet been set.

The Times Co. said the new iPad application offers more than 25 sections of content, blogs, more video and photos, breaking news alerts and streamlined navigation.

It features embedded videos and photos allowing readers to play videos within an article or view full-page slideshows.

"More and more, our readers are connecting with The Times across a variety of platforms," said Yasmin Namini, senior vice president of marketing and circulation at The New York Times Media Group.

"We are developing products that allow them to engage with our content in a meaningful way," Namini said. "With the NYTimes App, our readers can immerse themselves in our award-winning journalism and rich multimedia, all tailored for a premier experience on the iPad."

US newspapers have been seeking new revenue streams and developing Internet products amid a steady decline in print advertising revenue and circulation and the migration of readers to free news on the Web.

The Times Co. said the Editors' Choice App had been downloaded more than 650,000 times since it launched in April.