this is why its essential to do your accounting, or have someone do it. Dollares add up and even the big boys make mistakes; $52M mistakes, to be exact.
I find it fascinating entertainment when people post "news" such as this with no informal or parenthetical citing, other than "An Apple Spokesperson said."
For that matter, I could be an apple spokesperson, and say whatever I wanted in the name of Apple with no basis or backing.
I make software. We use an AGILE development process at our firm.
In determining cost there are 3 determinants: Scope/$$$/Time. Typically, a client can control one. When you think of the name (NYT), the image and brand, and aspiration they have to be the most read english news source, 40M on a paywall, seems fair. But what seems strange is the 14 months of work that they took, to create something thats inferior.
The fact of the matter is that the news industry model is ripe for a Tipping Point (@MalcolmGladwell).
It wasn't prudent for the NYT to make a dollar amount public. It only puts a target on their head.