Apple releases iBooks 3, iBooks Author 2

Hours after announcing updates to iBooks and iBooks Author at Tuesday's iPad mini event, Apple has released iBooks 3 through the App Store and iBooks Author 2 through the Mac App Store.

iBooks 3 changes include:

• The ability to see all iBookstore purchases in iCloud in iOS 6

• Endless scrolling

• Receive free updates to purchased books, including new chapters, corrections and other improvements

• Look up definitions in German, Spanish, French, Japanese and Simplified Chinese in iOS6

• Share book excerpts through Facebook, Twitter, Messages or Mail

iBooks Author 2 changes include:

• The ability to create portrait-only books

• Embed custom fonts into books

• Additional interactivity with new scrolling sidebar and pop-over widgets

• Support for mathematical expressions with equation editing using LaTeX and MathML notation

• Automatic media optimization for iPad

• Improved support for embedded audio

• Improved publishing workflow, including automatic book samples and pre-publish checking

• Additional templates

• Version numbering

• Retina display enhancing for the new MacBook Pros

• Other performance and usability improvements