The iBooks app has been updated, as promised at Apple’s recent WWDC 2010 keynote address. The new version number for the app is 1.1 and the major new features added include:
- PDFs added to the Library area of the app – so you can browse and open PDF files imported via email or iTunes sync from within the app
- The ability to add notes to pages of books and PDFs
- More bookmarking options
Here’s the full What’s New list from iBooks’ App Store page:
• In addition to iPad, iBooks is now available on any iPhone or iPod with iOS 4.
• Open and read PDF documents from Mail. PDF documents will be added to your library and appear on the PDF bookshelf. You can even search PDFs for words or phrases and bookmark your favorite pages.
• Take advantage of new ways to bookmark. In addition to highlighting a word or a passage, you can now also add notes or bookmark an entire page with the new page ribbon.
• Keep your bookmarks, notes, and your current page wirelessly in sync between iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with the new automatic bookmark syncing feature.
• See your book pages in a new font, called Georgia.
• Read your books on white or sepia colored pages.
• Choose left or fully justified text layout from Settings.
• Read pages with greater ease by increasing to even larger font sizes.
• Enjoy greater stability and better performance.
I installed the update last night and have given it a very quick tryout today. The new features seem to work well. The library happily showed me a couple of PDFs I downloaded and adding and viewing notes is easy and implemented nicely I think.
You can find the latest version of the iBooks app in the App Store now, and it is still a free app.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the news. I updated this yesterday but didn't know what updates were included :) Haven't read any of the free books yet on the iBook though
I haven't tried out any of the free, public domain stuff yet either.
For some reason I got an unknown error when I tried to update Ibooks had to remove it and reinstall the new version this worked fine. just wondering if anyone else had this issue? My Ipad is jailbroken.
I've also got my iPad jailbroken, and did not see any errors on updating.
It is suggested here that you can take notes in PDF files. My experience is that this is not possible. If you look into the present specification of ibooks you will notice that taking notes function is not specified for PDF but only for books! Of somebody has a different experience witheet PDF in ibooks I'm very curious !
This is the smoothest PDF reader I can find. Could we please have highlighting and notetaking for PDF files? The EASY kind, where you just click on a certain pen and highlight (or write) intuitively. NOT the kind where you have to first select the desired text, then choose whether you want to highlight or write, etc. Thank you.