What is Apple’s Interactive Multi-touch Book?
Mobile digital devices have given rise to new innovative mediums for publishing written content, much to the delight of authors and consumers.
Interactive electronic books (eBooks) are everywhere and have completely changed the way people access and consume non-print materials.
What is even more remarkable is that the full features of a touchscreen are leveraged to engage users and enhance their reading and learning experience.
In this article, I will specifically discuss Apple’s Interactive Multi-touch Book, what it is, when it was introduced by Apple Incorporation and why interactive eBooks are good for readers.
What is it?
Apple’s interactive multi-touch book known as Apple Books (formerly iBooks) is an electronic book reading and store application by Apple Incorporation.
This application built for Apple’s iPad and Mac devices comprises a set of tools that allow users and instructions to incorporate figures, informative text, explanatory videos, mind challenging quizzes, and images into an electronic book.
When did Apple Incorporation Introduce its Interactive Multi-touch Book?
The announcement of Apple Books by Apple Incorporation for its IOS and Mac OS operating systems and devices took place on January 27, 2010.
Later on in the middle of that same year, Apple rolled out the application along with the iOS 4 update, the iBook for the iPhone and iPod Touch. To that end, the first-generation iPhone (with operating systems 1.0 to 3.1.3) and iPod touches could not support the newly updated iBook.
Subsequent updates to the iBook sometime in the month of June 2010 give users the ability to read PDF files and annotate both eBooks & PDFs.
At first, the application was not integrated into iOS devices, however, users could install it from the iTunes App Store for free. With the release of iOS 8 on September 14, 2017, the iBook was among a handful of applications that were preinstalled on Apple mobile devices.
Why Interactive eBooks are Good for Readers?
Accessible
eBooks are easily accessible on multiple devices such as smartphones, e-readers, tablet computers, etc. All readers need is reliable internet connectivity to download an eBook application that is compatible with their device operating system. This accessibility makes a vast array of electronic books readily available to users with the touch of their screen.
Better Engagement
Physical books are usually restricted to standard methods of learning like texts, page numbers, and images (if any). These methods are void of immersive interactive elements, thereby limiting readers’ learning experience.
With interactive digital books, creators can incorporate multimedia elements like audio, image, texts, video, and animation, to ensure better engagement with the content.