ibooks_iconIn Apple's ongoing antitrust case with the Department of Justice, Apple's SVP of internet software and services Eddy Cue once again took the stand today, where he revealed several small tidbits about Steve Jobs and the launch of iBooks.

According to AllThingsD, Cue told the court that Jobs was highly involved in the creation of Apple's iBookstore, coming up with several of the features found in the app.

- The "page curls" in the iBook app, which show up when you flip an iBook's page? That's Steve Jobs's idea.

- It was Jobs's idea to pick ""Winnie-the-Pooh" as the freebie book that came with every iBook app. Not just because Jobs liked the book, Cue said, but because it showed off iBook's capabilities: “It had beautiful color drawings, that had never been seen before in a digital book."

- Jobs was also specific about the book he used to show off the iBook during his initial iPad demo in January 2010. He picked Ted Kennedy's "True Compass" memoir, because the Kennedy family "meant a lot to him," Cue said.

Over the course of the trial, the Department of Justice has argued that Apple colluded with book publishers to drive up the cost of e-books while Apple maintains its innocence. The DOJ has seen several weak links in its case over the course of the last week, after Apple refuted a partially composed email and a DOJ-called Google exec offered questionable testimony. Closing arguments for the trial are set for Thursday.

Top Rated Comments

Eminemdrdre00 Avatar
162 months ago
I wonder if those page curls will go away when iBooks gets updated for iOS 7? There were some things about the old skeuomorphism designs that didn't bother me as much as most people. That was one of them.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mohammad Ridwan Avatar
162 months ago
I hope Jony Ive doesn't ******* this app up too...
Page curl is my favorite feature of iBooks.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roland.g Avatar
162 months ago
^^ agreed. Not everything that makes it look realistic is "bad".
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IJ Reilly Avatar
162 months ago
Darn, I was hoping for some large tidbits.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TimTheEnchanter Avatar
162 months ago
I guess the real question is what will happen to the wooden bookshelf?

Jonathan already bought a new one from IKEA. ;)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nagromme Avatar
162 months ago
I wonder if those page curls will go away when iBooks gets updated for iOS 7? There were some things about the old skeuomorphism designs that didn't bother me as much as most people. That was one of them.

The effect is familiar, iconic, and everyone expects it in all ereaders. It's also optional already. I expect it to stay.

Same for the GarageBand instruments; menus/chrome may change, but a lot of the UI should stay looking like an instrument.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...