Apple CEO Tim Cook presented the updated iBooks Author as part of an "iPad in education" segment during the introduction of the latest versions of Apple's tablet. iBooks Author remains free, with the update available on Tuesday from the Mac App Store.

New in iBooks Author are new templates and portrait-only iBooks. Unfortunately, portrait-only doesn't mean iPod touch- or iPhone-friendly--iBooks Author books are still restricted to the iPad and iPad mini. The company does seem to have expanded its template offerings beyond textbooks, however: There are now options for photo books, craft books, cookbooks, and biographies.

Apple's new iBooks Author supports new mathematic expression rendering.

The app also boasts custom font embedding and several new widgets available for textbook creators, including rendered mathematic expressions and formulas, a scrolling sidebar, pop-ups, and altered audio options. Publishers can additionally push updates to books without users having to re-download it from the iBookstore.

iBooks Author also boasts an improved publication experience for publishers.