The US fashion magazine Vanity Fair is launching its iPad application on Thursday, the New York Times has reported.

The app reportedly works both in horizontal and vertical mode. When the iPad is held vertically, the reader gets a split screen with images at the top and text at the bottom.

The app also displays the magazine's articles and ads horizontally, thus enabling the iPad version's readership to be counted towards Vanity Fair's circulation.

The app for the inaugural June issue, expected to be available at the Apple iTunes store, will cost $4.99, the same as a print copy of the magazine. Subsequent copies will cost $3.99.

The app also includes behind-the-scenes videos such as soccer players fooling around during a break and British actress Emma Watson putting on make-up for her photo session. It also remembers where a reader stopped reading, even if the iPad was turned off.

The app currently does not allow users to copy or share articles.