According to the Brazilian magazine Veja, Apple has notified local publishers that its iBookstore will start operating in Brazil within the next 30 days. As you may know, Apple’s iBookstore can be accessed via the iBooks app.
The information was published yesterday in Veja’s Radar On-line section. While the article’s date coincided with April’s Fools, this section is a usually reliable source.
A few months ago, its main journalist, Lauro Jardim, broke the news that Apple would launch iTunes Music Store in Brazil in December. Not only did it happen, but Jardim also got the details right; the popular crooner Roberto Carlos was the Store’s main highlight, confirming his information.
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As the journalist Jardim points out, this news means that Apple could leapfrog Amazon on the e-bookstore front. While the retail company has been negotiating publishing rights with Brazilian publishers for the last few months, rumor has it that the discussions have stalled, and Amazon hasn’t yet confirmed when it will start beefing up its local catalogue.
Still, we wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon made announcements on Brazilian e-books very soon; as we reported, it has already confirmed that the Kindle Touch 3G it is launching internationally on April 27th will be available in Brazilian Portuguese.
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