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Well, that was quick work. Actress Elizabeth Taylor’s death was announced just two days ago, yet there’s already a tribute magazine app available on the iPad App Store.
Either Apple’s approval team got their skates on out of respect for the much-loved star, or the app had been pre-approved in anticipation of the news, much like newspaper obituaries are written ahead of time. (The New York Times‘ tribute, for example, was written by the distinguished critic Mel Gussow, who himself died six years ago.)
That’s an apt comparison, as the publisher of the Elizabeth Taylor Tribute Magazine is The Daily Holdings — the News Corporation subsidiary that makes subscription-based iPad news service The Daily.
That’s not yet on sale in the UK, so why are we writing about this new spin-off? We were surprised to find that the Elizabeth Taylor tribute app is available here in Britain, with a £1.19 price tag.
The App Store blurb promises “a beautiful, one-time special news magazine remembering the incomparable Elizabeth Taylor. Her incredible life and career is told in words, iconic photographs and timeless video.” We fear the best bits gossip-wise will have been left out, given the solemn tone.
Anyway, it’s one for the fans. But we’re as interested in The Daily launching a one-shot app outside the US, since until now us Brits have had to gaze from afar at its main news app, which we can’t install without a US iTunes account.
Besides paying tribute to Taylor, this new app may be a test to see what kind of demand there is on this side of the pond — don’t forget, Taylor was born here, after all. The app is a 45.5MB initial download, although after firing it up, we think extra content is being streamed down over the Internetwebs as you read.
