Just hours after Apple announced iBooks 3.0 at its special iPad mini event on Tuesday, the company has made the app available for download, bringing a number of new features to the iOS e-reader.
Among the most notable updates to come with version 3.0 is the new scrolling feature that displays content in a modified unpaginated layout, allowing users to navigate by "flicking" up and down through text. The endless scrolling lets readers quickly jump forward and back, and removes the restriction of having to wait for page turn animations.
Also added to the iBooks is the ability to view all previous iBookstore purchases from the bookshelf, a feature much like the purchase history seen in the iOS version of iTunes.
iBooks 3.0 scrolling mode.
From the release notes:
Introducing iBooks 3
- See all your iBookstore purchases in iCloud—right on your bookshelf with iOS 6
- Scroll vertically through your books with the flick of a finger using the new Scroll theme
- Receive free updates to purchased books—including new chapters, corrections, and other improvements
- Look up definitions for words in German, Spanish, French, Japanese and Simplified Chinese with iOS 6
- Share quotes or thoughts about your favorite book with friends on Facebook, Twitter, Messages, or Mail
Apple's iBooks 3.0 weighs in at 40.8MB and can be downloaded for free through the iOS App Store.