iBooks Author Revealed, Free To Download

A brand new application was revealed this week at the Apple education event by the name of iBooks Author, this app brought on aside the iBooks 2 app update and the addition of interactive Textbooks to the fold. This event has played host to a set of updates to the iPad-based world of books, the iBooks Author app at the center of how you'll be making books yourself with your Mac desktop machine. Templates will be included and a simple interface will be in place so that anyone, no matter their background, can make a fully interactive book for use in the iBooks world.

You begin with a template, creating a new document that will eventually turn into a book. You're able to add elements by dragging and dropping pieces of content into the pages that make up the bulk of the book. Galleries, media, reviews, keynotes, interactive images, 3D images, and straight up HTML code are allowed here, you able to switch from Layout mode or Interaction mode to Preview to check out how your pages are turning out as you go. Auto-formatting on the fly keeps the pages uniform, but completely customizable if you'd like with Javascript and HTML5.

You, the author of these fine books made with iBooks Author, are able to add a glossary, check your work at any time, bring forth the content you wish at a snap, and publish these books directly to the store. Anyone can create stunning, interactive books, they say, and with multi-touch widgets, photos, videos, and instant publishing to iBookstore, why not? This application is available today in the Mac App Store for free!

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