Although the ever-popular Barnes and Noble Nook and Amazon Kindle have been going at it for a while in the eBook and eReader market, the Apple iPad has always been a tight competitor for them.
The Apple iPad, though technically considered a tablet computer, has always given its owners the ability to read eBooks through downloadable apps. While the Nook, Kobo, and Kindle all have eBook apps through Apple’s iTunes store, Apple has been pushing their own eBook reader application, iBooks. It recently released the iBooks 1.3 update last week, which is focusing heavily on benefiting those with children. We can assume that they are doing this to help combat the popularity of the Barnes and Noble Nook Color, which is also very popular with adults who have kids.
You’ve seen the commercials for the Nook Color – the parent is sitting on a recliner in a dimly lit room with their child in pajamas sitting on their lap reading the latest Dr. Suess book in full color. So Apple iBooks 1.3 update has created new features that help your child read-along with select children’s books from the Apple-geared “iBookstore.” The update of iBooks is geared towards helping the little ones get into reading like never before. With full-color, illustrated eBooks for kiddos with the option to have an actual narrator read the book aloud for the child, technology meets education in a whole new way! In fact, in some of the eBooks, the words will highlight as the narrator reads, giving children the opportunity to learn how to read faster and easier with word recognition.
In addition to the new read-aloud function, the iBooks 1.3 update also fixes a few bugs, including the issue some readers were having with eBooks displaying the same page more than once, or the long delays that were experienced when a reader would attempt to open a longer eBook. Apple has also added in automatic play for videos and audio that are embedded within their enhanced eBooks, making it a flawless, flowing experience for anyone checking out reading material on their iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.
If you haven’t already, download the iBooks 1.3 update, to take advantage of these new features. It is free through the App Store, and requires iOS 3.2 or newer.