Flipboard adds iBookstore perusing to iOS app
The company says that users will be able to browse 25 new sections containing books across a wide array of genres.
Flipboard, the mobile app that lets users see all of their desired news in one place, now supports books.
The company announced today that when iOS users download its latest update, they'll find that they can comb through 25 book genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and cookbooks. In order to deliver that functionality, Flipboard has incorporated Apple's iBookstore into its app and essentially acts as a conduit to help users find out about the iPhone maker's iBooks.
When sifting through Apple's library of titles, Flipboard users will be able to read a publisher's write-up, find author information, and tap a link to download the title in Apple's iBookstore. That link is arguably the most important feature for Flipboard. If folks are referred to a title through Flipboard and buy it in the iBookstore, the app maker gets a 5 percent commission from Apple. In other words, it's another way for Flipboard to generate some cash.
Flipboard announced in August that its app now has 20 million users. Those folks share 3 billion items per month. In June, Flipboard brought its app to Android in the hopes of expanding its user base and accelerating its growth.