NZ’s largest magazine publisher launches iPad app

NZ’s largest magazine publisher launches iPad app
ACP takes North & South to the tablet

North & South is set to be one of New Zealand’s first magazines available on Apple’s ground-breaking iPad tablet computer.

New Zealand’s largest magazine publisher ACP Media says North & South is its first title of many destined for the device.

ACP CEO Paul Dykzeul says the iPad enables publishers to do some incredibly innovative things.

“We have been itching to do this for years. We can not only retain the ‘look and feel’ of the printed page, but enhance it by embedding high-quality video, hyperlinks and more details and images.

“It provides us with another amazing way to deliver the content we are incredibly proud of. The production of this digital version is state-of-the-art, and we will enhance this even further as technology develops. However, we are really confident our first foray into the space is going to wow our readers.”

The news comes hot on the heels of the announcement that iPad launches in New Zealand on Friday (July 23).

The North & South app is soon to be available for download from Apple’s iTunes App Store and is currently sitting with Apple for final approval. Readers can select any single issue of the monthly magazine for slightly less than the hard copy price.

North & South editor Virginia Larson says she expects the app to be popular with expats.

“Shipping hard copies of magazines across the world just became redundant,” Ms Larson says. “Why would you do that when you can enhance your read with rich and colourful content such as video and a peek behind the scenes of the stories?”

Ms Larson says North & South is facing up to the challenges of technology and embracing the opportunities it presents to publishers.

“You can’t ignore progress. That’s not to say people won’t continue to enjoy holding a fresh, crisp magazine in their hands. But as publishers, we have to consider those who prefer to get their in-depth current affairs digitally.”

The North & South application was developed simultaneously for iPad and iPhone. The app includes support for Apple’s new high-resolution ‘retina display’ – an LCD with a super high pixel density - of the iPhone 4.

The digital magazine is created from printed layouts using a custom-developed process. It is dynamically laid out for reading in both landscape and portrait orientations on the iPad and in portrait orientation on the iPhone.

Articles are split into pages that readers swipe up and down to navigate through the article. When finished reading an article, readers can tap the contents button or simply swipe left or right to further move through the magazine.

Downloading a single issue of North & South to an iPad costs $6.49. North & South says it hopes to have iPad and iPhone subscriptions available in the future.

The first North & South available using the new app is the August 2010 issue.

ENDS

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