Prices undercut by Amazon UK

Despite reports of conflicts over European book deals, the UK iBookstore is up and running with paid titles, an industry site notes. Apple has inked contracts with Hachette UK, Penguin, HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan, allowing it to sell books such as Wolf Hall and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Prices range from £10 to £12 for titles currently in hardcover, and £4 to £7 for paperbacks.

Notably missing from publishing agreements is Simon & Schuster, which joined the other four companies in supporting the US iPad launch in April. Costs may prove another obstacle, as while Wolf Hall for example costs £7 at the iBookstore, the paperback is just £3.60 at Amazon.co.uk. The Thousand Autumns is £12 through Apple, but only £9.41 in a hardcover from Amazon. The iBookstore allows reading roughly 100 pages of either book for free.

Apple's storefront has technically been accessible in the UK since Wednesday, but only free books have been available until today. European publishers are thought to be reluctant to commit to the iBookstore because of potential legal issues, which could be caused by Apple's preference of an agency pricing model, and a rule against being undercut by rival booksellers. Current iBookstore prices hint that Apple may be flexible on the matter.

by MacNN Staff