iTunes U

Apple’s iBooks and iTunes U apps finally receive iOS 7 makeover

Apple by now has updated much of its own iPhone and iPad applications that area available on the App Store, with the two major holdouts: iBooks and iTunes U (also pending in the update queue: Find My Friends and Keynote Remote, a Keynote presentation software companion).

Now, Jony Ive's been feeling your pain so today Apple issued a pair of long-expected updates bringing iBooks and iTunes U in line with the general iOS look and feel.

The revamped iBooks "has been updated with a beautiful new design for iOS 7," says Apple. The refresh includes a completely revamped iBook Store.

Did they kill the page curl? Read on for the full breakdown...

iTunes U finally adopts pull-to-refresh thing

Although optimized for the iPhone 5, iTunes U - Apple's free download from the App Store - is still skeuomorphic, just like Find My iPhone, AirPort Utility and other Apple downloads not included as part of the stock iOS 7 experience. Though today's iTunes U 1.3.1 update doesn't get rid of the wooden bookshelf, the new versions does add several noteworthy features. Among them: the popular pull-to-refresh gesture to checks for course updates in the notepad...

Apple announces iTunes U downloads topped 1 billion

It could be the largest educational institution which never handed out one diploma. More than one billion downloads of class lectures, quizzes and assignments were downloaded from iTunes U, Apple announced Thursday.

In a press release, the technology firm unveiled class attendance numbers that would make even the best Ivy League schools jealous - if they weren't already offering part of the service.

More than 250,000 students are enrolled in the service with content from 1,200 colleges, universities and K-12 schools. While Yale, MIT and Stanford are among the U.S. schools involved, a growing majority of schools from outside the U.S. are also taking part, the iPhone maker said...

Stanford’s free iOS developer’s class returns to iTunes U

Want to get started coding apps for iOS? Stanford University is relaunching their class 'Coding Together: Developing Apps for iPhone and iPad', with new material for iOS 6. We previously reported on the class in 2011. Since enrollment in the class is free on iTunes U and on Piazza, all you really need to participate is enough familiarity programming in C to get you through a couple first-year computer science credits. Over the course of the program, the class will teach students to program in Objective C.

The class is short, running from January 22nd to March 28th. While the class has already started, you can still sign up for enrollment on iTunes U and on Piazza as late as February 1st. You can also peek at the free lectures on iTunes if you are curious...

Apple updates iLife, iWork and other iOS utils

With today's release of iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2, Apple has updated its Podcasts app with support for iCloud subscription syncing. Just a few minutes later, updates to Apple's other apps went live in iTunes, including iLife and iWork apps and utils like Find My Friends, Remote, AirPort Utility and more. With so many third-party apps being updated for iOS 6 support as we speak, you may want to prioritize your downloads. Here's what's new in Apple's own updated apps for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad...

Apple updates iTunes U with note-taking and more

In addition to the long list of other updates we're seeing today in wake of Mountain Lion's release, Apple has pushed out a new version of iTunes U. iTunes U, as you may know, is an iPhone/iPad app that gives users free access to college courses and other valuable resources.

Among the program's new features is a new note-taking option, which allows you to easily take notes while watching or listening to a lecture. Keep reading for a rundown of all the changes...