EA linked to Apples iSlate

With Apple odds-on to lift the lid on its long-rumoured tablet Mac the iSlate next Wednesday, reports have claimed that video games publisher EA is working closely with Apple to bring some of its gaming IP to the new machine.

Gaming is expected to form a big part of the iSlate’s proposition, along with a targeted emphasis on e-reading, digital media publishing and a revamped multi-touch key-less interface.

Apple is working with videogame publisher Electronic Arts Inc. to show off the tablet’s game capabilities, according to one person familiar with the matter,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

In developing the device, Apple focused on the role the gadget could play in homes and in classrooms, say people familiar with the situation. The company envisions that the tablet can be shared by multiple family members to read news and check email in homes, these people say.

Apple has recently been in discussions with book, magazine and newspaper publishers about how they can work together. The company has talked with The New York Times, Conde Nast Publications and HarperCollins Publishers and its owner News Corp over content for the tablet.”

Meanwhile, reports elsewhere indicate that Apple is in negotiations with UK mobile phone operators. The plan is to offer the iSlate at a reduced fee as long as the user signs up to a monthly data subscription service.