The old Pottermore may be gone, but it’s content will live on forever thanks to new Harry Potter eBooks exclusively for Apple products.
Apple and Pottermore have announced the release of new, “enhanced” editions of the Harry Potter books which are available for $9.99 a pop. Check out the first one here in the iTunes Store (You can download a free sample of each one if you’d like to take a peek).
The seven books boast over 200 illustrations as well as bonus material from author J.K. Rowling — it all debuted on Pottermore over the past few years. Below is a sample from Order of the Phoenix:
Like Pottermore.com’s illustrations, some of the artwork in the enhanced eBooks will come to life thanks to brief animations. Here’s a very brief preview of what those animations will look like while reading:
This is apparently a big deal for Apple. Their CEO Tim Cook, who tweets way less than J.K. Rowling, felt compelled to talk about the news this morning:
A magical day for readers! Fans of #HarryPotter series can enjoy enhanced editions on iBooks http://t.co/1XgzmGHx7j pic.twitter.com/QCnhKb9SFY
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 8, 2015
Added Rowling in a statement, “I’m thrilled to see the Harry Potter books so beautifully realized on iBooks for the digital world; the artwork and animations in these enhanced editions bring the stories alive in a delightful new way.”
The news comes only two days after Scholastic and Bloomsbury published the first-ever Harry Potter Illustrated Edition. Unlike the enhanced eBooks, the Illustrated Editions boast all-new artwork by Jim Kay and are printed on real paper. Old school, baby!
Longtime Pottermore followers may remember the days when the site had an exclusive partnership with Sony and their line of eBook readers. Back then, no one would’ve dreamed of all the Pottermore content going to Apple in an exclusive deal. Things have changed a lot since then!
With the enhanced eBooks and Illustrated Edition debuting this week, we’re clearly entering (another) new era for Rowling’s series.
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