iBooks posts

Just days after releasing iBooks 1.1.1, Apple has updated the app again. iBooks 1.1.1 introduced the ability to double-tap an image within a book in order to view it in greater detail and the ability to experience books that include audio and video, among other fixes.

Today's 1.1.2 update only lists one fix: "Addresses a minor issue when updating iBooks." While we can't tell what it's actually fixed (everything was working fine for us), it's nice to see Apple is on top of things. If any of you notice a difference with iBooks 1.1.2 let us know in the comments!

Following on the heels of the iTunes 9.2.1 update that was released yesterday, Apple has updated the iBooks app to version 1.1.1, which includes "substantial performance improvements when reading PDFs." While the new version of iBooks still lacks some lovin' for PDFs that e-books get (in-text Dictionary lookup, notes, etc.), this version makes swiping through PDFs smoother than before. Other improvements to iBooks 1.1.1 include:

• The ability to double-tap an image within a book in order to view it in greater detail.
• The ability to experience books that include audio and video.
• Look up definitions to English words inside books without a specified language.
• An answer to an issue that may have caused some book downloads to not complete.
• The addition of many stability and performance improvements.

The free update for both the iPad and iPhone/iPod touch apps is available now in the App Store.

Like me, maybe you're not big into Japanese literature other than some graphic novels. When I read this story, I had no idea who Ryu Murakami was until I read that his list of works includes Audition. Audition, in case you don't know, was adapted to film by Takashi Miike; it's one of the most uncomfortable and graphic horror movies that I've ever seen, ... but I digress.

Murakami's latest work, titled A Singing Whale, is set to make its debut solely on the iPad; it will involve no other publishers at all. It will appear on the Japanese App Store at around US $17, and thirty percent of that purchase price will go to Apple. The rest will go to Murakami, composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the software company that is making the book.

You may be asking why a composer is included in this list. This deal isn't about Murakami sticking it to publishers (or, at least, it's not all about that). Like a few of the other titles that we've already seen on the App Store (like Alice in Wonderland, for example), this title will have a multimedia aspect to it. So, it's not necessarily something that could even work with traditional publication.

I just hope that A Singing Whale isn't in the same vein as Audition, or that multimedia experience will be very, very nightmare inducing. Just thinking about it makes my Achilles tendon hurt.

After our post that iBooks 1.1 doesn't deliver what Apple promises, Apple has quietly updated the language on its iBooks page to accurately reflect what iBooks 1.1 can do as far as PDF handling goes. Two days ago we pointed out that the copy on Apple's iBooks page read:

Tap a PDF to read it and it fills the screen just like an ebook. You can flip through pages, add bookmarks and highlights, or zoom in for a closer look.

The problem with this was that you couldn't actually flip through PDF pages or highlight them -- those were features of books purchased from the iBooks store, not PDFs.

While some readers thought I was being picky that Apple used the word "flip" instead of "swipe" to move to the next PDF page, Apple seems to have agreed with me. Flipping a page involves the iBooks page-curl eye candy. Swiping a page moves one page off screen as the next appears. As of today, Apple has changed the copy on the iBooks page to accurately reflect how you can interact with PDFs in iBooks 1.1. The new copy reads:

Tap a PDF to read it and it fills the screen just like an ebook. You can swipe through pages, add bookmarks, or zoom in for a closer look.

Here's hoping that Apple does add page flipping and text highlight functionality to PDFs soon. iBooks is shaping up to be a wonderful app and I can't wait to see where it goes in the future.

Apple touted iBooks 1.1 as a major upgrade which allows users to sync and view PDFs from their computer to the iPad. While Apple has delivered the ability to sync and view PDFs in iBooks 1.1, there are some major limitations, including some features that iBooks 1.1 is advertised as being able to do, but actually cannot. The image above is a screen shot from Apple's iBooks page. It states:

Tap a PDF to read it and it fills the screen just like an ebook. You can flip through pages, add bookmarks and highlights, or zoom in for a closer look.

The problems with this is that you can't actually flip through pages or add highlights to a PDF. There's a difference between flipping through pages and swiping. iBooks 1.1 lets you swipe one page off the screen in order to bring on the next. That's very different than flipping the page as you do with an ebook in iBooks. As for highlighting – well, the feature just isn't there.

We can't say for sure if the Apple iPad is the cause, but it's a pretty good bet the iPad and the iBook app are part of the problem for Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Both booksellers today dramatically cut the price of their competing e-book readers.

Nook started the ball rolling downhill this morning when the original Nook, priced at US$259, was cut to $199, and a new Wi-Fi only model was introduced at $149. Now Amazon has just responded, cutting the $259 Kindle to $189. Whew! It's getting competitive out there.

Many people still prefer a dedicated book reader, but the iPad has come on strong. I've read several books on my Kindle, and the screen is detailed, but I actually prefer reading on the iPad where I don't have to worry about finding an external light source. I also prefer the color illustrations on the iPad for the books that feature them.

It will be interesting to see how this all winds up. Of course you can read Kindle books and purchases from the Nook store on your iPad or iPhone (and on your Mac), so readers have plenty of choices. Sadly, you have to juggle a lot of different e-reader apps on each device, but we all benefit as consumers when the competition gets up and running.

A number of iOS 4-compatible apps are being distributed today, and now Apple's iBooks application has gone universal as promised. The new version offers book syncing between the iPhone or iPod touch and the iPad, plus bookmark syncing (via iTunes) and a free copy of Winnie the Pooh.

The UI has a few subtle differences. When viewing the iBookstore from the iPhone, the icons across the bottom are Featured, Charts, Browse, Search and Purchases. On the iPad, they're Featured, New York Times selections, Top Charts and Purchases.

Bookmark synchronization is done via iTunes. When first launched, you're asked if you'd like to setup bookmark sync. A simple "yes" will do.

You can move previously-purchased iBooks to your iPhone in two ways. The first is to sync them like other items in iTunes. With your iPhone connected to iTunes, click the "Books" tab. You'll see options to sync both audio books and iBookstore purchases. You can opt to sync all books at once, or pick-and-choose individual titles.

The other method is to go into the iBookstore with your iPhone and tap Purchases. You'll see a list of all the purchases you've made with an option to re-download each one.

Reading on the iPhone is of course different than the iPad due to the screen size, but all of the settings in the iPad version, like brightness, text size, search and bookmark, are in place.

We'll have an in-depth look at this app up soon. For now, try it out and experience Apple's idea of the iPhone as an ereader.

Several readers with access to the developer's release of iOS 4 have written to say that they can download iBooks for iPhone. In fact, most users report that they're being prompted to download the app. Just like the iPad version, it includes a free copy of Winnie The Pooh (to the delight of developers' children no doubt).

It seems that the app is restricted to 3GS iPhones, confirming what Engadget reported earlier. It's also notable that most report the app can only be downloaded via iTunes for the desktop and not over the air.

Enjoy reading about Pooh Bear, and imagine how beautiful the Hundred Acre Wood will be on that Retina Display.

Apple has posted the stream of yesterday's WWDC keynote by Steve Jobs. During the keynote, Jobs unveiled iPhone 4 along with many new features of iOS 4, including the FaceTime video conferencing feature. Jobs also announced the iMovie app for iPhone and iBooks with PDF support.

When Jobs was showing off the iPhone 4's new Retina display, there were some technical issues due to the number of people in the hall using mobile Wi-Fi hotspots. It was a slightly embarrassing -- and awkward -- moment for Jobs, but as you can see from the keynote stream, no editing of said moment was done, and you can replay the awkwardness in all its glory.

As of the time of this writing, the keynote is not yet available in the Apple Keynotes Podcast series on iTunes, but it should be added shortly. Update: It's there now.

As expected, and with a joke ("Stop me if you've seen this"), Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone 4 today at the World Wide Developers Conference.

That case we've all seen was more or less the final product. Steve called it "the most beautiful thing we've ever created." It's got glass front and back for durability and scratch-resistance. About that band of metal that surrounds the phone's edges? It's all a part of the antenna. Pretty neat.

The screen also got a huge boost. It's a Retina Display producing 326 ppi (pixels per inch). That's a full 4x as many pixels than the 3GS sports in same amount of space. As Steve noted, "...300 ppi is limit of the human retina when held 10-12 inches away from the eye." So, it's sharp, and now we know why it's called the "Retina Display".

iBooks, Apple's native e-book reader on the iPad, is getting some updates, as announced today by Steve Jobs at the WWDC keynote. Among those updates are (better) support for bookmarks and the fulfillment of one of the most common requests: native PDF viewing. With the update, users will be able to navigate their own PDF's in the same fashion as the EPUB-format books that iBooks uses.

This is great news for me, and -- judging from the applause -- quite a few iPad users. It means not having to convert all of my PDF books to EPUB in Calibre (which has done a great job thus far, by the way). Hopefully the new functionality, which is due out later this month, will be as useful as some of the existing iPad apps, and provide the extra polish and simplicity that Apple's so good at.

"But Mike," I can hear you say,"I've already got iBooks on my iPad -- why would I want to download another eReader?" Try free books for an answer. Barnes and Noble is holding a promotion this month: every week, you can show up in their retail stores, and if you show someone on staff that you've got their B&N eReader app on your mobile device, they'll give you a code for a free eBook. This week, they're giving away Lee Child's One Shot, and next week it's Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg. Sure, neither of those are probably your favorite novel, but if you're just looking for something to read, they definitely seem like something you can bring to the beach this summer.

If you've already paid for a few reads in iBooks, that's fine -- read away. But if, like me, you're still not quite sure how to jump into the eBook thing (I kind of still like turning paper pages), a few free eBooks to read might help you get a handle on the experience. Since the Barnes & Noble app is free, the only cost is a quick stop by a bookstore. Read on!

Have you got a novel or two in your bottom desk drawer? Did you participate in the National Novel Writing Month competition last November? Are you a budding author who needs that last nudge to actually get writing? If any of these describe you, Apple has just given you a way to get your masterpiece into the iBooks store for the iPad, and you can do it yourself. You don't need a publisher, distributor, agent or anything else for that matter. You can decide how much to charge and which countries (that have an iBook store) to sell into. You also get the same deal as the app publishers, meaning that Apple takes 30% and you keep 70% of the revenue.

There are some requirements though but help is available.You'll need to have:

• ISBN numbers for the books you want to distribute
• the ability to deliver the book in EPUB format
• the book pass EpubCheck 1.0.5
• a US Tax ID (sorry world, this is only open to the US at this point)
• an iTunes account backed up by a credit card
• a fairly good idea of where you'll sell and how much you'll sell
• an Intel-based Mac running OS 10.5 or better (sorry PC users, their game, their rules) and meet some reasonable technical requirements

In a recent TUAW post, I wondered whether a closed Mac system might be in Apple's future in addition to the standard Mac offerings. Despite the existence of Apple TV, some are dubious. After all, Steve Jobs said no (or, more accurately "nope") to a correspondent who recently asked about a Mac App store under a far more universally closed system than the scenario floated yesterday.

Jobs has said "no" (and "nope") before. Sure, we at TUAW love Uncle Steve, but when Jobs says "no," we're not always sure that he really, really means it.

The following list includes TUAW's 6 top Steve Jobs "no way" moments. Each of these transformed into "yes way" actions some time after Apple's denial. It's not as if Apple doesn't mean "no" when it says "no." It's just that like any other corporation, Apple often moves in unexpected directions based on consumer pressure. And sometimes Pinocchio's nose grows a teeny tiny bit.

Do you find yourself downloading a lot of the free Project Gutenberg public domain books in the iBookstore? Sick of your bookshelf looking like a series of paper bags with text printed on them? Me too, so I decided to create my own covers for all the free books I've downloaded.

If you've ever added custom album artwork to an iTunes song, you get the basic idea of how to change the cover art of a Project Gutenberg book in your iTunes library. If you haven't, I'll quickly list the steps here:

1. In your iTunes library, select the Books category in the source list.
2. Select any book that shows it has no cover, right click on it, and select "Get Info."
3. Select the "Artwork" tab.
4. Drag and drop any image into the white box on the artwork tab and click Okay. Voila! You've just added a custom cover to your ebook.