Does Microsoft / NYT Thinks Media Consumption Is Unchanged?

A deal between the NY Times and Microsoft allows computer users with a Windows Vista operating system to read the Newspaper as it looks offline.

With Microsoft’s new Windows Vista software, to be available in January, virtually any newspaper, magazine or book can be formatted into an electronic version and read online or off. The software would allow The Times to replicate its look — fonts, typeface and layout — more closely than its Web site now does.

Has anybody told them that many of us might not actually want to read the New York Times in the old format online? We’re now living in this world of pick and choose content - where we gather this content in the format we choose: RSS, email, web, aggregators, blogs and so on. There is a reason why we have fled the newspaper - don’t force the old world upon us online too.

Microsoft Software Will Let Times Readers Download Paper