Apple today released iTunes 10.5.3 which allows users to sync interactive iBooks textbooks to their iPads.
These Multi-Touch textbooks are available for purchase from the iTunes Store on your Mac or from the iBookstore included with iBooks 2 on your iPad.
iTunes 10.5.3 is available via Software Update and also via Apple’s website here
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So is this tool Exclusively to be used for school textbooks, or is Apple accepting manuscripts from first-time independent authors too, for non-textbook fiction and nonfiction books?
Robots spout before they think or listen
I didnt have a chance to follow the presentation unti just now. I understand the textbook part and the education part, but I don’t understand why they’d announce the authoring tool if freelance writers can’t use it, unless they allow for the other types of books to be uploaded as well. I thibk its a valid question. If it’s just going to be used by big publishing houses to publish textbooks, why focus on the tool and not just on he end user product iBooks 2. That’s what I was wondering about. It seems like the next logical step to do is to allow everyone to publish. That will put additional pressure on Amazon, which this event has been hyped to do.
Can be used by everyone to publish, I robot too, didn’t mean to offend.
Being a dick I see, as usual.
You would know…
BLN is a product of the neighborhood in which he grew up.
Yes can be used for non-textbook Fiction and nonfiction books.
I’m not sure what the criteria are, but anyone can submit books to Apple for inclusion in the iBookstore.
What’s exciting too, is you can publish to iBook format and distribute yourself (via email, etc.) to friends who can open in iBooks. For someone who wants to make something for their own company, church, etc., this may be very useful, and doesn’t depend on Apple’s approval.
Think about that implementation for teachers and their custom made lessons…
It would be convenient (and consistent) if iTunes would open a window for reading a book, as they would appear on an iPad.
I’m guessing this update does not add such capability…
Totally
I’m guessing they’re going to ease into this thing and not try to keep too many balls in the air. But yes a native ePub and iBooks reader opening from iTunes (or iTunes itself) would be the next step. Calibre is sort of OK but hardly an Apple standard program.
You can create your own textbooks with the Mac iBooks Author app and sync them to your iPad. You don’t need to use the iTunes store to distribute your publications unless you want to sell them. They’ll sync with iTune just as any other PDF or ebook currently does so all you’d need to do is make the file available electronically for wider distribution.
I’m just saying that if you don’t want to sell your work via Apple, but instead just need to distribute it the process is relatively simple.
The new iBooks Author program for the Mac is REALLY nice. Defnitely worth checking out.