Apple to Begin International Roll Out of iBooks and iBookstore Alongside iPad Launch
Earlier today, Apple
announced the launch of the iPad in nine new countries later this month: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. As
noted by iLounge, Apple is also rolling out its
iBooks iPad application and associated iBookstore in many of these countries at launch.
Apple's country-specific press releases for Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the UK all indicate availability of the iBooks app and the iBookstore on May 28th. Apple has yet to post press releases for France, Germany, and Switzerland, however, and thus iBooks availability for those countries has not yet been confirmed.
The iBookstore was announced as a U.S.-only feature during the iPad's introduction in late January, although evidence soon surfaced that Apple was making plans to extend it internationally. Apple also announced last month that it will be bringing iBooks and the iBookstore to the iPhone and iPod touch with iPhone OS 4 later this year.
Update: Apple has now posted its French press release, which confirms that iBooks and the iBookstore will be appearing there as well.
Popular Stories
Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns.
The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49.
There...
iOS 26.5 includes three new features for iPhones, according to Apple's release notes for the update, which is expected to be released next week.
As discovered during beta testing, iOS 26.5 enables end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between iOS and Android devices. Apple says this security upgrade is limited to supported carriers around the world and will continue to roll out....
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform.
Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...
