Apple Making A Play To Bring iBookstore To Japan, But It Won't Happen This Month
January 2, 2013
Apple is expected to bring the company’s iBookstore to Japan later this year, after failing to do so three years ago. However, it won't happen this month as originally reported, according to AllThingsD.
Cupertino is said to be negotiating with Kodansha, Shogakukan, and Kadokawa to bring their e-book showcase to Japan. Although iBooks have been available in Japan since 2010, it mostly contains content “filled entirely with public domain content.” At the time, Apple had failed to negotiate with key publishers.
The Japanese e-book market is said to be “notoriously difficult ... to break into.” Assuming discussions with publishers prove successful, entering this market could be a boon for Apple. The iPad is “enormously popular in Japan,” as are e-books in general.
Apple has not commented on this news. An October update to the company's iBooks app provided a clue that an iBookstore in Japan was coming. The version brought support for Japanese-language e-books for the first time.
Aldrin Calimlim reported earlier this week that Apple would be expanding the number of Japanese-language-related e-books available this year. This most recent report, however, claims that this won't be happening in January, as was first reported. Instead, expect this to happen later in the year.
Source: AllThingsD