FOR those concerned that their tablet computer may be stolen, there is now a solution. The company Lifemac has designed iPad covers that, when closed, look like a leather-bound copy of the Bible. Ben Holland, a spokesman for the firm, said that he believed a burglar or thief would be unlikely to take what appeared to be a Bible.

"From the evidence we have got, it seems that the Bible is something safer," he said. "Maybe there is an extra level of respect. A lot of people have been brought up Christian, even if they are not now. I think people are less likely to pick up the Bible in the first place if they are thieves."

Mr Holland said that he knew of at least two customers who had suffered break-ins, but whose Bible-covered iPads had not been taken. One, Stuart Williams, had had his car broken into, and although CDs were taken, his tablet, in the Bible cover, was left behind.

The enterprising initiative may backfire, however, as the Bible frequently appears in lists of the most commonly stolen books. There are no conclusive statistics on the subject, but the New York Times reported in 1990 that the Bible was often named by librarians as being among the titles that are most likely to be taken.

www.lifemac.com