Apple is introducing a new product today, and the company has remained highly secretive about it.  But anticipation has been so high, that anyone should be excused for believing that an Apple e-reader--whether called a tablet or an iSlate--already exists.  There is a lot of pressure now on the new product to save publishing and reinvent advertising for magazines and newspapers in the digital era.  Barry Ritholtz,our favorite finance blogger, has 5 questions about the new product:

• Is the iSlate a category killer, like the iPod?

• Is the iSlate a game changer, like the iPhone?

• Can the iSlate rescue the publishing industry?

• How does this position Apple versus its peers?

• What does this do to the competitive landscape?

Read the full post at The Big Picture, here.