Thank you so much for that information!
Somewhat related, can apps be shared across multiple iPhones? Without requiring repurchasing?
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Apple's iBooks App Now Available
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Thank you so much for that information!
Somewhat related, can apps be shared across multiple iPhones? Without requiring repurchasing?
I recently tried to download a app from the American app store.
However when it came to syncing it to my iPod it claimed that I was not authorised to use it.
Seeing as I bought most of my stuff in the UK iTunes store, deauthorising would mean I would not be able to sync any other apps.
So yeah, the whole 'switch to american store and get iBooks there' idea probably won't work.
However when it came to syncing it to my iPod it claimed that I was not authorised to use it.
Seeing as I bought most of my stuff in the UK iTunes store, deauthorising would mean I would not be able to sync any other apps.
So yeah, the whole 'switch to american store and get iBooks there' idea probably won't work.
I have friends who buy Kindle books and read them cover to cover on their Iphones. They don't own Kindles, just the books. They're perfectly happy with the experience and don't want to spend the money on a Kindle.
Not only that but it just shows how ingrained the old fashion "idea" of a book is.
When I can adjust the font, size, color, background page color, adjust screen brightness, invert text and page color for night time reading, highlight, annotate text and use a dictionary within the book, this is a far better, less restrictive, more interactive experience than reading a book printed on paper.
Screen size (and the font and font size used) will determine the number of words on a page. That's all. As an example, I have 3 copies of the exact same book: one is a standard paperback, the other is an oversize paperback with large type and the third is the hard bound edition. Word counts per page and number of pages per book are completely different. Unfortunately, none of them are customizable in any way.
I am only inclined to buy digital versions of most books I read for enjoyment now. I read from 30 minutes to a couple of hours at a time and find no difference in readability or eye strain. In fact, I could also find no scientific study done about eye strain and screen reading (incl. eInk) that suggests there is a problem. The only article I was able to find suggested that only screen brightness and contrast "could" be a problem but was easily solved by adjusting the controls on the monitor.
I like the ability to be able to carry around several books, magazines and comics to read at my leisure no matter where I'm at or when it is. I'm just hoping that some of my favorite magazines and authors get on board. (Ray Bradbury - time to change your luddite ways
Scary thought...
This is actually a scary thought. If we go all digital media they companies can basically lockdown imports. No foreign music or media until they decide it's time for a domestic release. In the 90s almost half of my musical purchasing was UK and EU imports.
This is actually a scary thought. If we go all digital media they companies can basically lockdown imports. No foreign music or media until they decide it's time for a domestic release. In the 90s almost half of my musical purchasing was UK and EU imports.
In defense of ebooks on the iPhone
Some people enjoy reading classic literature, well-written contemporary fiction, or beach trash sometimes; I've been doing this since my first Palm V PDA in 1999. For traditional novels I've never seen the validity of the argument about the screen being too small. Novels aren't text books, one reads the words in sequence one after another, or at most absorbs a few adjacent words or phrases at a time so why does someone need to see the next 1000 words of a book as they start reading its opening sentence?
For me the key benefit of ebooks isn't price, I've paid more for an ebook than the hardcopy version on many occassions. The key benefit is that if I have my book in electronic format then if my train gets delayed, someone I'm meeting is late, or it's a beautiful day and I fancy a few minutes to sit on a bench and read then I always have my books with me. For me it is the iPad that is the inferior eBook experience because it fails to meet my key criteria for ebooks, namely that they are always with me; I'm not going to take my iPad with me to my local grocery store just in case the mood takes me to stop off in a coffee shop to read for half an hour on the way home.
And before people start saying it's all about rich media and going beyond traditional book formats then I accept that this is a big part of it but, if Apple doesn't care at all about traditional novels, then why have they been loading 30,000 out-of-copyright novels into the iBook store prior to the iPad launch?
With iBooks (ePub plus proprietary DRM) vs Kindle, Apple are about to enter a VHS vs BetaMax format war and they need to deploy every weapon that they can to win the battle. Failing to offer at least iPhone coverage seems a mistake to me and, if it continues, will push me somewhat reluctantly towards Kindle content. I say "somewhat reluctantly" because I actually want Apple to win this one because ultimately I think that they will be able to foster the creation of the greatest range of ebook content.
- Julian
P.S. I'm not knocking the iPad itself, I will be getting mine on day one of the UK launch to use for sofa surfing and I can't wait.
Some people enjoy reading classic literature, well-written contemporary fiction, or beach trash sometimes; I've been doing this since my first Palm V PDA in 1999. For traditional novels I've never seen the validity of the argument about the screen being too small. Novels aren't text books, one reads the words in sequence one after another, or at most absorbs a few adjacent words or phrases at a time so why does someone need to see the next 1000 words of a book as they start reading its opening sentence?
For me the key benefit of ebooks isn't price, I've paid more for an ebook than the hardcopy version on many occassions. The key benefit is that if I have my book in electronic format then if my train gets delayed, someone I'm meeting is late, or it's a beautiful day and I fancy a few minutes to sit on a bench and read then I always have my books with me. For me it is the iPad that is the inferior eBook experience because it fails to meet my key criteria for ebooks, namely that they are always with me; I'm not going to take my iPad with me to my local grocery store just in case the mood takes me to stop off in a coffee shop to read for half an hour on the way home.
And before people start saying it's all about rich media and going beyond traditional book formats then I accept that this is a big part of it but, if Apple doesn't care at all about traditional novels, then why have they been loading 30,000 out-of-copyright novels into the iBook store prior to the iPad launch?
With iBooks (ePub plus proprietary DRM) vs Kindle, Apple are about to enter a VHS vs BetaMax format war and they need to deploy every weapon that they can to win the battle. Failing to offer at least iPhone coverage seems a mistake to me and, if it continues, will push me somewhat reluctantly towards Kindle content. I say "somewhat reluctantly" because I actually want Apple to win this one because ultimately I think that they will be able to foster the creation of the greatest range of ebook content.
- Julian
P.S. I'm not knocking the iPad itself, I will be getting mine on day one of the UK launch to use for sofa surfing and I can't wait.
It isn't pre-installed in order to give the user the choice of which book reader app they prefer to use. The user is free to use the iBooks, Kindle, Nook, etc
eBook reading is obviously a primary function of the iPad, and while Apple hopes you use iBooks as your reader of choice, they opted to leave it up to you to decide which reader you want to use.
Also, it's not pre-installed so they can update the app without needing to wait for the OS updates.
I intend to do just that. I've not been very happy with my Kindle, it's difficult to read in low-light, like when my wife is asleep, even with various clip-on lamps. I was referring to some friends for whom the purchase of a Kindle (and an IPad) is financially out of the question. For them reading Kindle books on an Iphone is a perfectly satisfactory experience.
No idea what's going on there. I have apps purchased in the US and UK stores on my iPhone all walking together.
Just tried downloading another to test... sync worked fine. App loads on my iPhone.
Damn can't use it on my iPhone. Guess I'll just have to brake down and buy an iPad. Nice one Steve!
Why not just use the kindle app?
Just as with music,I'm sure it's all about the publishers.So to answer your question,no.
I have the Kindle, B&N, and Stanza all on my phone now. I typically only use Stanza because it fits me the best. I was planning / hoping on ditching all of them for iBooks. I had already stripped off all the DRM and imported them into iTunes and was ready to roll.
Now, disappointment.
People may not realize how easy it is to read on the iPhone, but that's because they really haven't tried it. The screen holds quite a few words per page (not a ton) and the font is NO smaller then a standard book. The backlighting isn't a problem as long as contrast is controlled. I have a much harder time reading on my MBP then on my iPhone.
I am on the go all the time, often taking kids from place to place for one activity or another. Thus I find myself with 1/2 hour to an Hour of free time while waiting for them. I don't want to have to lug around an iPad, thus the iPhone is perfect for this.
My plan was as follows. A) Covert all my reading to digital [done], B) Find the reader I liked the most [done], C) Unify my library into one format [done], D) Read all the major classic novels of our time [working on], E) Migrate to reading on an iPad while at home [pending].
For me, and many avid readers I think that this is the idea. Reading on the go with the iPhone, reading at home with the iPad. But now I can't read on the iPhone with their app. Also there is no reason to buy books from Apple now; in fact, I find it less appealing. Right now I know I can remove the DRM from Kindle books easily. I wasn't concerned with Apple's DRM because I could convert everything else and then just use iTunes. But now, this changes everything.
Looks like I am not alone, there are may people on here who was waiting for this. I look at it this way. Get us hooked, give us something nice for our iPhones. And we will then buy all our books from Apple, AND when the opportunity presents itself, we'll buy an iPad. We win, Apple Wins, woohoo!
Call me disappointed.
The problem is that other readers won't be able to read titles that are DRMed.
Maybe it's just a convenience thing, I don't know if there was monetary value involved, isn't that book out of copyright now?
I think you're being myopic about this. Have you heard of the concept of an upsell? Get people to want a feature by having them actually experience the feature for a while, and let them know they can get it on a bigger screen.
I think Safari on a 3.5" screen (and on a 3G or EDGE iPhone is pretty sluggish) is the same way, so no, I don't think your argument really holds water. I think it's very sub-optimal, panning and zooming are a kludge to make it work. But it's nice to have when it's needed or when there is some idle time away from a computer. I see iBooks for iPhone to be the same way.
I wonder if that's going to be the case. This iBooks app is a separate download, it wasn't built into the operating system at least from that perspective. I wonder if this is a clue to suggest that they will allow other native book apps for the iPad.
I think it's very possible that Apple is just delaying the Mac, Windows and iPhone versions. They want to sell these iPads and need to keep the list of features special to iPad as strong as possible. Then later, they can roll out versions for other devices. Apple doesn't seem to do anything that might distract from the PR buzz of the new/updated product in question, making an iPhone version might be seen as doing that.
I don't think Apple said they won't ever make iBooks available for iPhone or computers, it's just that this app is currently iPad only.
I guess so. I'm quite enjoying the TV show Chuck at the moment (which my uncle torrents and sends me on disc) and its annoying because I can't watch it on the website (where US viewers can watch the episode the day after airing) and I can't buy episodes on iTunes...I'm forced to wait!
What about using a VNC?A good one costs money,but I use one to watch(don't laugh)The Littlest Hobo on Canada's CTV site from the US.A lot of people use them to watch Hulu,etc.from overseas.