Apple takes iBookstore live in South America, New Zealand
updated 07:56 pm EDT, Mon October 22, 2012
Central American countries added, Portuguese language support
Late on Monday and ahead of its media event tomorrow that is said to include updates to iBooks and possibly iBooks Author, Apple has opened the iBookstore in a slew of new countries, almost entirely in Central and South America (along with New Zealand). The media event, expected to introduce the "iPad mini" and perhaps other new products, has been rumored to include an update to the company's educational efforts and may indicate that the smaller iPad is being positioned for schools, education and e-reading.
The iBookstore is now live in Mexico, along with Central American countries such as Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama. The big news for Apple, however, is the opening of the iBookstore in the lucrative market of Brazil. Other South American countries gaining the store today include Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.
Books are already appearing in other countries' iBookstores with the option of being downloaded in Portuguese, the primary language of Brazil. MacNN earlier reported on the possibility of both iBooks 3.0 and iTunes 11 being formally introduced at the event on Tuesday. The Brazillian store leak was first spotted by South American site BlogDoiPhone.
