iBooks 1.1.1 Adds Support For Audio And Video Content To eBooks

Apple has just released a new version of iBooks (v1.1.1), Apple’s App Store for books.

The latest version of iBooks adds support for audio and video content to ebooks.

Amazon had recently released an updated version of Kindle iOS app, a competing app that also added audio and video support.

Here are some of the new features and changes in iBooks 1.1.1:

• Double-tap an image within a book to view it in greater detail.

• Experience books that include audio and video.

• Enjoy substantial performance improvements when reading PDFs.

• Look-up definitions to English words inside books without a specified language.

• Addresses an issue that may have caused some book downloads to not complete.

• Includes many stability and performance improvements

In case you haven’t downloaded iBooks, you can download it from the App Store for free using this iTunes link.

As we have reported earlier, the roll-out of multimedia support to ebooks is significant for publishers. Early this year, Penguin Books' CEO John Makinson had revealed his plans to use the enhanced interactivity of the iPad to bring audio, video and live-chatting functionalities to ebooks. Makinson had noted that such features would not only improve reader engagement, but will also help the company monetize its digital content better.

A recent readability study had found that users took marginally longer time to read ebooks on the iPad than printed books but offered the highest reader satisfaction. However, few industry observers are skeptical over the potential of such an offering. They have argued that such functionalities could ruin the traditional book reading experience. Do you think multimedia based ebooks will change the book reading experience for the better?

Do you prefer Kindle’s app or iBooks? Let us know in the comments.