On IT World, Ryan Faas takes a look at some of the new features that Apple has added to the iBooks store with the new iBooks release. Citing a blog post by Liz Castro, Faas notes that Apple introduced a new form of fixed-content book for use with picture books, children’s books, and other books where page format is important. However, Apple has only been sharing details of how to create this type of book with a few publishers, and has done so under a nondisclosure agreement.
This means that independent publishers and self-publishing authors or artists will be unable to make use of this new format. It also means Apple gets to be the only company who can make readers to support this new format—good news for Apple, but not so much for people who want to be more platform-agnostic in their reading preferences.
Liz Castro also notes that this restriction of information is not exactly new to this version of iBooks.
And Apple has been less than forthcoming with information about earlier versions of iBooks as well, publicizing books that violate the very requirements listed on their web site, promising to follow the EPUB standard, but picking and choosing just which pieces to support.
Of course, with everything all the major e-book reader or device vendors are doing to try to increase platform lock-in, it’s not surprising that Apple (who has historically been very closed-mouthed and secretive about a lot of things, not just iBooks) would try to do the same. It is regrettable that this ends up leaving out the small publishers that advances in e-publishing have otherwise empowered.
(Found via Slashdot.)
These conclusions may be premature. With ePub 3 on the horizon, there will be a lot of pushing and jostling in attempts to influence the direction that the standard will take. A working prototype with publisher endorsement might be a good way to achieve this.