Apple’s big announcement last week was about its Mac-only iBook Author application.

The free app available from iTunes allows users to create eBooks using Apple’s editing tools and then sell them via the tech giant’s iBookstore.

Tackling the publishing industry is a bold move – and, considering the soaring sales of eReaders such as Amazon’s Kindle, Apple is set to make big money.

And that’s also the catch. The announcement has sparked controversy after criticism about its user agreement (End User Licensing Agreement, EULA) locking eBook sales to the Apple platform – and taking a 30% cut.

My view is that, considering the app is free, Apple take a cut by way of payment for using their platform to host your content. And Apple’s platform isn’t exactly shoddy. It’s world-renowned for its apps – and perhaps in the future it will be for its eBooks too.

Companies will always attempt to force competitors out of the market. And no platform is perfect. For instance, Google’s eBookstore doesn’t currently support Amazon’s Kindle as an eReader device (although it plans to in the future).

Overall, being able to create eBooks for iOS devices will save expensive development bills – and maybe open up the market for similar offerings.

See the Storify round-up below for the different viewpoints emerging over the past few days: