Apple today shared a detailed and in-depth preview of its brand-new Books app, which will replace iBooks with the launch of iOS 12 later this year. As shown on stage at WWDC 2018 last week, the new Books app has been completely redesigned with four new tabs.
“Apple Books will inspire a love of reading – it puts a world of books and audiobooks right at your fingertips, whether you want to dive into your favorite story for a couple of minutes or a few hours,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software & Services. “This is our biggest books redesign ever, and we hope this beautiful app inspires both customers and authors alike.”
Reading Now
The new Reading Now tab is the home and starting point to the books you are currently reading. With Want to Read, you can conveniently keep a wishlist of books you plan to read. The Series and You Might Like present books based on those you have recently read. Apple wants to make the Reading Now feature function like perfect virtual nightstand.
Audiobooks
Apple Books will also feature a prominent, dedicated Audiobooks tab for the first time, so you can listen to books at home or on the go on iPhone and iPad or in the car with CarPlay. This for sure will cause more confusion on how to manage iPhone, iPad content wisely, as you have to sync your music, podcasts, movies, books with iTunes, but they’ll be synced away to different iOS apps.
Book Store
The Book Store tab makes it easy to browse all that Apple Books has to offer, including Top Charts, Staff Picks, Editorial Collections, and Special Offers & Free. The new design lets you swipe between books, and makes discovering something you will love to read intuitive and fun. As you read more books from the Store, you will receive personalized recommendations based on your purchases in For You.
Library
In the Library tab (similar as the Library tab in Apple Music and iTunes), you can peruse your full collection of books with large, easy-to-see cover art, including the books downloaded to your device and a Finished section showcasing the books you have read in the past and the date you finished them, displayed in a timeline.
The Bottom Line
The new Apple Books app launches with iOS 12 this fall, with the Book Store available in 51 countries, and free books available in 155 countries. So if you are iBook / Audiobook cover designer, cast an eye on these changes so as to keep your creative work up-to-date.
