iBooks, Gutenberg Books, and Google Books

[Epicurus]

If you followed the news about the iPad, then you know about the iBooks app and store. You may also know that by supporting the EPUB format for books, Apple has given all iBooks users access to not only the tens of thousands of commercial ebooks sold with Fairplay DRM, but also to any DRM-free ebook in the EPUB format. We have already heard about the 30,000+ Gutenberg books that will be included within the iBookstore. What I haven't seen mentioned all that much is the over a million public domain books Google has available in EPUB (link).



This was the last significant argument the Sony Reader devices had against the Kindle, so why shouldn't Apple harp on it a bit more. All the better for Apple, of course, since it has the added benefit of the Kindle app (and probably the Barnes & Noble Reader app later on) and a handful of really great looking comic book readers/stores.

 

[MikhailT]

If you followed the news about the iPad, then you know about the iBooks app and store. You may also know that by supporting the EPUB format for books, Apple has given all iBooks users access to not only the tens of thousands of commercial ebooks sold with Fairplay DRM, but also to any DRM-free ebook in the EPUB format. We have already heard about the 30,000+ Gutenberg books that will be included within the iBookstore. What I haven't seen mentioned all that much is the over a million public domain books Google has available in EPUB (link).

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This was the last significant argument the Sony Reader devices had against the Kindle, so why shouldn't Apple harp on it a bit more. All the better for Apple, of course, since it has the added benefit of the Kindle app (and probably the Barnes & Noble Reader app later on) and a handful of really great looking comic book readers/stores.

Simple, Apple doesn't make money off free content. They rather people use iBookstore for BOTH free and paid content, make people feel like they only need to go to one place for it.

Google is my primary source for classics, their scanned documents includes all the graphics and such that traditionally comes in the books. ePubs are still a long way to go from PDF format type of illustrated books.

 

[Epicurus]

Simple, Apple doesn't make money off free content.

My understanding was that the sales of the iPad hardware constituted their primary income. The 30% cuts from ebook sales doesn't really sound all that great considering the hosting and distribution costs on the back end.

At the end of the day, they allowed the Kindle and Marvel apps, which if nothing else shows they have accepted the idea of alternatives to the iBookstore. They even put the Marvel comics app on their main site, using it to advertise the iPad. I think they see the iPad as a comprehensive device, and if they are going to make that argument, why not do it properly and use the Google Books angle.

 

[MikhailT]

My understanding was that the sales of the iPad hardware constituted their primary income. The 30% cuts from ebook sales doesn't really sound all that great considering the hosting and distribution costs on the back end.

At the end of the day, they allowed the Kindle and Marvel apps, which if nothing else shows they have accepted the idea of alternatives to the iBookstore. They even put the Marvel comics app on their main site, using it to advertise the iPad. I think they see the iPad as a comprehensive device, and if they are going to make that argument, why not do it properly and use the Google Books angle.

The hardware is their primary revenue, but more sales brings more profit for Apple despite how tiny the share of the entire revenue.

Kindle is free, and you can't buy the books in-app, you have to go to their store via Safari to buy them. Marvel in-app purchases if IIRC still counts for the 30% sale to Apple.

 

[Epicurus]

Marvel in-app purchases if IIRC still counts for the 30% sale to Apple.

Well that explains their getting top billing.

 

[MikhailT]

Well that explains their getting top billing.

http://developer.apple.com/technologies/iphone/sdk/inapppurchase.html

Familiar business terms.
In App Purchase uses the same business terms used for apps sold on the App Store. You receive 70% of the purchase price of each item you sell within your app, paid to you on a monthly basis — no credit card fees apply.