Apple is working on a new ebook reader for iPhones and iPads take on Amazon in the digital book market again, reports Bloomberg.
The tech giant is purportedly working on a redesigned version of its iBooks e-book reading app for iOS devices, will rename it “Books” rather than “iBooks” and has hired an executive from Amazon to help.
Bloomberg says the new app will include a simpler interface that better highlights books currently being read and a redesigned digital book store that looks more like the new App Store launched last year. It will also add a section called Reading Now and a dedicated tab for audio books, the article adds, quoting unnamed “people familiar with its development.”
Bloomberg says Apple has hired Kashif Zafar, a senior vice president from Audible, Amazon’s audio books business. Before that, Zafar was a content vice president at Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-reader division, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Amazon had approximately 83% of the U.S. e-book market in early 2017, up from 74%in October 2015, according to AuthorEarnings, which tracks book sales for writers and other industry participants. Apple’s share went from 9% to 11% in the same time frame.
