Support for Interactive E-Books Made with iBooks Author May Be Coming Soon to iPhone

Support for interactive e-books created with Apple's iBooks Author software may be coming soon to the iPhone, based on recent changes to iTunes Store wording noticed byMacworld's Serenity Caldwell. While iBooks Author e-books have been limited to the iPad since the software's January 2012 launch, Mac support will be coming as part of Apple's launch of the full iBooks experience in OS X Mavericks, and iPhone support may also be in the works...

Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours

iBooks 3.1 brings paid content to iBookstore in Japan

Version 3.1 of iBooks is out today and while it might not bring much in the way of new features for Western users, it's a pretty big deal for book lovers located in Japan. That's because the latest update introduces paid content on the order of hundred of thousands of books -- encompassing novels, manga and more -- something that the country's iBookstore has been without up until this point. Before now, iOS users in Japan have needed to be content with public domain e-books.

In addition to the paid content rollout, the 3.1 update also introduces some improvements when reading Asian language books.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple: More Than 8 Million iPads Sold to Educational Institutions

Apple announced last week that there have been more than 1 billion iTunes U downloads across 1,200 universities and 1,200 K-12 schools. The company also confirmed to TechCrunch in a separate statement that it has sold more than 8 million iPads to schools and other educational facilities around the globe. According to AllThingsD, more than half of those sales, 4.5 million units, were sold to schools in the United States.

We already knew schools were purchasing iPads, a district purchased 26,000 back in June, but we’re surprised by the sheer number of schools that are now employing iPads and iTunes U, likely in replacement of outdated textbooks, to students as a learning tool.

The U.S. government has helped fund some school districts by providing cash to make sure that schools are currently using the best technology available to help students learn.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Apple starts running new iPad mini ads showcasing iBooks and iPhoto

Apple has begun running two new television commercials for the iPad mini. The new ads build out a series that started with Apple’s iPad mini Garageband ad; a commercial that demonstrates the iPad mini’s equal software capabilities to the full-sized iPad. The new ads focus on iBooks and iPhoto. The first ad shows the iBooks application and reading on the iPad mini, and the second ad shows the iPad mini’s photo viewing capabilities and advanced editing functions via the iPhoto App Store app. The two ads are viewable after the break:

[Source: 9to5Mac]

DC Comics brings a veritable justice league of titles to Kindle, iBooks and Nook Stores

Not that there's been any lack of ways to get Batman or Supes on your chosen tablet, between Comixology and the devoted DC app, but if you happened to need on more, the publisher announced today that it will be bringing its entire line to three prominent e-bookstores. Justice League, Batman, Superman and a slew of others are hitting the Kindle Store, iBookstore and Nook Store. Never let it be said that your tablet doesn't support Flash. check out some thoughts from co-publisher, cartoonist and all around awesome dude Jim Lee after the break.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple unveils new version of iBooks with continuous scrolling

Apple CEO Tim Cook took to a San Jose theater stage today to unveil a new version of the company's literature-based digital storefront, iBooks. Cook says it integrates better with iCloud, allows for quote sharing on Facebook and Twitter, and has support for "over 40 languages." It'll be available today on the iOS App Store.

[Source: Engadget]

 

iTunes leaks mention of iBooks 3.0 ahead of next week’s Apple media event

Apple’s iTunes Store has leaked a mention of iBooks 3.0 ahead of Apple’s October 23rd media event. This media event will discuss a smaller iPad, which will likely be education oriented. French site iGen first discovered the listing, and The Next Web snapped the above screenshot in the French iTunes Store. The current version of iBooks is iBooks 2.0, which was announced earlier this year with digital textbook support.

[Source: 9to5Mac]