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Flipboard nets deal with Apple, lets users browse iBookstore in magazine format

Flipboard nets deal with Apple, lets users browse iBookstore in magazine format

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Flipboard Books
Flipboard Books

Flipboard has brought on a number of content partners in recent months, but now the company has secured a deal with none other than Apple, whose platform helped catapult the magazine-style news aggregator to success. A new "Books" section, available now to iOS users, is the result of that partnership. It essentially brings the iBookstore shopping experience directly to Flipboard while putting a clear focus on ease of discovery — historically somewhat of a sore spot for Apple. Listings are broken down into 25 sections such as those for genre or "Bestseller" rankings.

Content-wise, there's nothing you'll see that's not mirrored in iTunes: book descriptions are identical, for instance, but Flipboard has predictably placed an emphasis on visuals and presentation. On the iPhone version you flip through cover imagery for various books before tapping any title for a description, resulting in a pleasant Cover Flow-like experience. Completing a purchase still requires jumping into the iBooks application, but Books could make for a decent way of browsing selections for anyone not acquainted with (or frustrated by) Apple's storefront. It's accessible to users in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, The Netherlands and Brazil