Gone are the cassettes and CDs. Welcome to the age of audible ebook storytelling – iBook’s Read Aloud feature. On Wednesday, June 8th, Apple unveiled “a major update to the native e-reading app iBooks.” (PC Magazine)
The Apple iBook 1.3 update offers several new elements including the read-aloud function for select children’s books. The plus — it uses a real narrators voice. The update includes the “ability to highlight words as they are being read aloud.” (Select “enhanced eBooks” and it now automatically plays video and audio content included in the book.)
The update fixes bugs that caused books to display the same page twice, plus has made the app more responsive “when opening “very long books””.
Audio, not new But it is…
The audio book isn’t new. It’s been around for many years. So has the ability to listen to audio on e-readers. What is different is the ability of the e-reader to “read” books to you, highlighting the words.
Here is an example of the book “Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll” being read on the iBook. (from Keven Ho’s Site: HappyReads.net)
What does this mean for the ebook author?
I can see offering your childrens ebook with audible – using it to entice more sales, as well as offering a better reader/listener experience.
But not just for children. Imagine if you have a step-by-step tutorial? The student can now read the material and then turn on the audio and follow the verbal instructions.
What possibilities do you foresee with the book/audio feature?
Keven,
Thanks for alerting me to your site and example of an IBook reading Alice in Wonderland. Much appreciated. — Suzanne
Suzanne,
Thanks for your announcement. I am working on other new books with this “Read and Listen” feature. The next coming book will be Aesop’e Fable. And “Peter Pan” is coming too.
Regards,
Kevin
Great stuff, I’ve just been looking into this capability recently. I’ve produced ‘bookapps’ for iPad for over a year, but this brings a nice enhanced capability to the iBooks side. Would love to see Unruly do a template kit for Apple’s Fixed Layout that allows ‘read to me’ and even javascript for simple interactivity.
best,
Brendan G>
Brenden, It is really amazing how the technology grows so quickly. We have several Kits in the works: Book Cover Design, Non-fiction, Fixed Layout, and, Interactive.
I try to create each tutorial and Kit so that the beginner can use it, but I am also a stickler for accuracy and validation, so the process takes a little more time than the “Get ‘Er Done” method.
I also have several larger, more meatier, books in the works — like the “The Formatters Formatting Guide 101” – someone who really wants to learn and dig into the workings of the EPUB or MOBI guts.
So much to do, so little of me to do it ;)