Books are so pre-iPad era! Books are actually so passé that this Eau Claire, WI library decided to let its members check out iPads instead of books. Loaded with 1,000 eBooks and 10 audio books, you can check out one of the library's 44 iPads to use for 4 hours, or for a full 7-day period.
Even though some libraries have already stepped into the digital age by offering eReaders to its members, this seems to be the first time a library develops such a wide program...
Google Books is the first major app to be booted from the App Store for not complying with Apple's latest in-app purchases policy. Apple's new rules, which went into affect on June 30, state that no app can provide a link to purchasing additional content outside of Apple's ecosystem.
Unfortunately, Google decided not to remove the link to its own eBooks store from its app, and it is no longer available as a result.
Google's app first hit the App Store in December, and along with Amazon's Kindle, it's one of the major rivals to Apple's own iBookstore. However, whereas Amazon's Kindle and a number of other applications have been updated to comply with Apple's terms, Google has so far decided not to bother...
I have to say, I absolutely love using the iBooks app on all my iDevices. This has to be one of the best features (in my opinion) in iOS 4, and since its release I've been using it at least once every week. If you're an iBooks user, you'll be glad to know Apple has pushed out another update to further improve the iBooks experience.
Apple yesterday updated its popular iBook app with several important bug fixes, stability and performance improvements.
Apple has released some new ads that focus on the three main e-commerce stores for the iPhone. These short, 30 second promos focus on the App Store, iTunes, and iBooks.
The main focus of these three ads is to show what people who don't have the iPhone are missing. The "If you don't have an iPhone" tag line plays throughout the ad as different features of each store are pointed out. Each ad ends with a little jab: "If you don’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have an iPhone."
What do you think? The ads clearly get the intended message across. Perhaps a little too boldly? Apple sure knows how to make a poignant little commercial.
[MacStories]
Apple has updated iBooks to support a number of new features including integrated AirPrint abilities for PDF documents and notes. Not only that, but they have added enhanced full color illustration capabilities to the mix.
Now you can read little Johnny a more exciting bedtime story, and afterwards print off the latest notes from today's staff meeting. You've gotta love technology.
According to Apple, the following four features made the cut in iBooks 1.2...
The Wall Street Journal has an article about the possibility of advertisements hitting the pages of iBooks. This annoying idea is purely speculation but nevertheless worth a thought considering Apple's newest creation, iAds.
Books as an advertising platform would have much more influence than movies or television since readers typically reread a novel over the course of many years. iBooks would be around as long as the buyer decides to keep them on their devices, and that could be a long time considering the limited amount of space they take up.
Apple has implemented a way for accomplished writers as well as wannabes to distribute their content on the iBookStore. I'm sure JD Salinger would despise this but it's still a good way for anyone to get in front of a massive audience.
This service allows you to submit your books but also to set up your account to collect your remuneration from books sales.
I guess the hardest part here is not to get your book in the iBookStore, it's to get it written...
You can check all the requirements here.