Apple Announces New Publishing Tools
Apple’s new iBooks Author is a free download through the Mac App Store that will allow you to easily create interactive books. With an interface that will be familiar to anyone who has used Apple’s Pages, they’ve added some new functionality in the form of Widgets that allow you to embed things like 3D objects, Keynote files—even externally linked HTML so your content is always up to date.
Completed books can be saved as text, PDF, and iBooks format, and can be sold or given away via Apple’s iBookstore. Be aware, however, that books created with iBooks Author cannot be sold through any distribution model other than the iBookstore, although they can be given away.
In a companion announcement, Apple has announced the release of iBooks 2, which supports their new iBooks textbooks. It supports the ability for readers to highlight text, take notes, search for content, use study cards, and find glossary definitions.
Jay Nelson is the editorial director of PlanetQuark.com, and the editor and publisher of Design Tools Monthly. He’s also the author of the QuarkXPress 8 and QuarkXPress 7 training titles at Lynda.com, as well as the training videos Quark includes in the box with QuarkXPress 7 . In addition, Jay writes regularly for Macworld and Photoshop User magazines and speaks at industry events.
How does this affects Quark App? There is a difference in the final product? Does it have to be an educational only or textbook?
Benjamin: Indeed! These are questions that will require some research over the coming months. If anyone knows the answers, please chime in!
Oh and get this, the Ibooks Author only works with Lion…? I know everybody wants us to upgrade, but I’m REALLY comfortable in Snow Leopard and don’t want to switch it up just yet… I hate fixing thing that are not broke. I guess I’ll make another partition on my drive to load Lion and see how it all goes.