Apple Distributing Free iBooks to Employees Ahead of Mavericks and iOS 7 Launch

iBooks.pngDuring quarterly retail meetings that took place today, Apple announced a new ‘iBooks Discovery’ initiative that will see Apple Store employees provided with free iBooks beginning next week in order to prepare the retail workers for the launch of OS X Mavericks and iOS 7, reports 9to5Mac.

While an iBooks app has been available on iOS devices since the debut of the original iPad in 2010, OS X Mavericks will mark the first instance of an iBooks app for the Mac.

The Mavericks version of iBooks offers a number of features that will appeal to readers and students alike, including full screen reading capabilities, note taking functionality, and a feature that allows study cards to be automatically created from notes.

With access to free ebooks, Apple Store employees will be able to familiarize themselves with both the iBookstore and the many features that iBooks offers, allowing the employees to answer customer questions and promote the apps and the new operating systems.

Apple has also provided some of its employees with beta access to OS X Mavericks and recently, it sent out a memo asking its retail workers for innovative ideas on how to improve the iPhone, the retail store environment, and sales techniques.

At a retail summit that took place in early July, Tim Cook announced plans to improve the in-store sales of iPhones, which are considered a “gateway product” to other Apple devices. As part of its push for greater sales, Apple has launched a new iPhone Back to School promotion and has plans for an in-store trade-in program for older devices.

The company also plans to heavily market both iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks, which are expected to be released to the public this fall.

Related Forum: OS X Mavericks

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...

Top Rated Comments

Porco Avatar
161 months ago
Too late, went Kindle. Lots of us said so 3 years ago.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
longofest Avatar
161 months ago
iBooks are still crap compared to Amazon's offering. I can get Amazon Kindle books on virtually any platform - iOS, MacOS, Windows, Android, or from the web using the cloud player. iBooks are limited to iOS and only just now Mac.

Plus, I can read the kindle books on an eInk display, which is easier on the eyes than LCD of iOS devices for extended reading.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Daws001 Avatar
161 months ago
I don't understand why it took this long to make iBooks seamless across Apple's ecosystem. I completely ignored the app because it wasn't multi-platform like Kindle. And why isn't Newsstand on Mavericks? Seems like a no-brainer.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WestonHarvey1 Avatar
161 months ago
iBooks are still crap compared to Amazon's offering. I can get Amazon Kindle books on virtually any platform - iOS, MacOS, Windows, Android, or from the web using the cloud player. iBooks are limited to iOS and only just now Mac.

Plus, I can read the kindle books on an eInk display, which is easier on the eyes than LCD of iOS devices for extended reading.

iBooks is a better piece of software than any of the Amazon Kindle readers.

eInk is nice, and I like the lightness of an eInk Kindle, and the fact that I can toss it around and not really care if it gets scratched, being a pretty cheap device.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Santabean2000 Avatar
161 months ago
Should be an exciting few months coming up. Especially looking forward to Mavericks and some better multimonitor functionality.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
demodave Avatar
161 months ago
[url=https://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/28/apple-distributing-free-ibooks-to-employees-ahead-of-mavericks-and-ios-7-launch/)[/url]

While an iBooks app has been available on iOS devices since the debut of the original iPad in 2010, OS X Mavericks will mark the first instance (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/06/10/apple-debuts-new-ibooks-and-maps-apps-for-the-mac/) of an iBooks app for the Mac.

Article Link: Apple Distributing Free iBooks to Employees Ahead of Mavericks and iOS 7 Launch (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/28/apple-distributing-free-ibooks-to-employees-ahead-of-mavericks-and-ios-7-launch/)

Good deal. I've been hoping/waiting for iBooks to be on the Mac since iBooks 2 was released. While I think that the iPad is a little nicer for mere reading, as a study tool, I can see where having the ability to interact with both a book and a real keyboard on the same device would be quite appealing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)