Apple is working on a refreshed iOS iBooks app, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
Citing individuals “familiar with the app’s development,” Gurman says Apple’s new iBooks app will feature a simpler interface that better highlights the books the user is currently reading. Moreover, the app is said to feature a dedicated audiobooks tab, as well as a redesigned store that burrows major design elements from the company’s recently redesigned app store.
Like it did with iTunes on iOS, Gurman says Apple will rename ‘iBooks’ to a more simpler ‘Books’. He says the company will release the app sometime in the new few months.
In addition, Gurman reports Apple has hired Kashif Zafar, a former senior vice-president with Audible, Amazon’s audiobook subsidiary, to lead its e-book efforts.
After years of neglect, Apple is refocusing on e-books as part of a competitive push against Amazon. The e-commerce giant has a stranglehold on e-book sales in the U.S. According to AuthorEarnings, the company has an 83.3 percent market share.
Of course, Apple is not the only company recently putting more effort in its e-book and audiobook efforts. Just this week, Google started selling audiobooks in Canada and 44 other countries around the globe.
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