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WSJ: Apple in tablet talks with HarperCollins

Report offers some of the best evidence yet that the much-anticipated Apple tablet should be an e-book reader, along with who knows what else.

Headshot of Michelle Meyers
Headshot of Michelle Meyers
Michelle Meyers
Michelle Meyers wrote and edited CNET News stories from 2005 to 2020 and is now a contributor to CNET.
Michelle Meyers

We had heard that Apple was pitching its yet to be launched (or even confirmed) tablet device to publishers, but a Wall Street Journal story posted Monday offers a few potential specifics.

The story, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, says HarperCollins Publishers is negotiating a deal with Apple that would make electronic books available for the tablet. HarperCollins is expected to set the prices of the e-books and Apple would take a percentage of sales, according to the story. Whether Apple will sell titles via iTunes or a new e-book store "couldn't be learned," according to the Journal post.

The report comes on heels of a separate post Sunday related to Apple partnering with a publisher. In a story about The New York Times reportedly getting ready to announce that it will start charging readers for access to online content, New York magazine also suggested that such a deal could be in the works in time for the tablet unveiling, expected to take place at a just-confirmed invitation-only event on January 27.