In most cases the content of Apple's websites between the US and Canadian versions are the same, but compare the listed features for the new iPad and you'll see that something is missing - iBooks. There's no reference to it at all on the Canadian website which means that the company isn't certain if they'll have the Canadian iBooks Store up-and-running in time for the iPad's launch. Scroll to the bottom of the Canadian iPad Features page and you'll see this disclaimer: "Some features and applications are not available in all areas. Application availability and pricing are subject to change". This is far more hopeful language than the disclaimer that appears on the Australian iPad page, also missing iBooks, which reads: "iBooks available in the U.S. only."

From my discussions with publishers I can pass on that the Canadian book market is different from other countries because we have a large number of publishing houses. They may be small, but there are so, so many of them, that going through the rights with each can be an involved process. So the store may not be available on time, but will this mean that the iBooks app itself will be missing from iPads sold in Canada at launch? I doubt that will be the case, its one of the basic apps included in the iPad's OS, unless the store also provides the service by which book content can be added. For their book content Apple is using the ePub format which should given open access to book content from a number of sources, including Sony's own eBook Store, so the delay of an iBooks Store shouldn't be a major issue for Canadians, we can just use content from elsewhere while we wait. 

iBook's temporary settings - font size and styles 

It's also important to make clear that the iPad isn't finished yet. Every conversation I've had with the team at Apple has referred to the fact that they will be working on adding and polishing features right up until launch. The technical specs may be locked down now, but the software specs haven't and this includes iBooks itself. The version I saw had only two font sizes, large and small, and five fonts - Bakerville, Cochin, Palatino, Times New Roman, and Verdana.  Obviously this list will expand for launch and it also explains why Apple hasn't discussed support for other file formats. Will iBooks accept PDF files? .txt files? You can bet the iBooks team is exploring different ways for you to add your own content and will not be releasing a final list until they are finished. There's no point publishing partial details, it only leads to confusion and certainly Apple has enough of that to content with. 

The other question to ponder is whether iBooks will appear on the iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac, and even Windows platforms. Can you see a use for it on those devices? It's a question I'm sure Apple is exploring and one of the key elements will surely be if those platforms can deliver the same quality experience. Apple has gone to great lengths to make the iBooks experience an elegant one and they'll want to keep it that way wherever iBooks appears.