Australian publisher Allen & Unwin has launched its first iPad app - just in time for the Australian arrival of Apple’s latest game changer.
Underbelly: The Golden Mile has been launched with a free “lite” version as well as a complete version selling for just under $15. The success of books on the iPad depends on how well they can use the new medium. The showy Alice for the iPad, for example, highlighted the iPad’s ability not just to make text visual but also interactive - including making Lewis Carroll’s jump, fall or balance teacups for the Mad Hatter.
So far iTunes reviews of Underbelly: The Golden Mile have been positive based on the strength of the TV tie-in. “So much better than the TV show… perfect for the train,” enthused Addictive in the iTunes store. Another praised the app’s ability to deliver short sharp stories.
Addictive seems to have been so enthusiastic that they needed to write another iTunes review for the lite version: “I started reading these on the bus this morning - totally addictive.” We’d suspect Addictive might be from the publisher, except that Addictive concludes “Glad I didn’t bother buying the books!!!”