iLounge

1

Will the iBookstore be available for iPhone users and/or Mac users, too? The Kindle app works well when I’m reading a book on my iPhone then switch to the Kindle for PC app on my work computer. It would make sense for Apple would provide the same synergy on its own equipment and bookstore, right?

Posted by NB on January 27, 2010 at 1:20 PM (PST)

2

Can epub books from Project Gutenberg be downloaded to the iPad and integrated with iBookstore purchases or might this be an app yet to come? I’d also want to be able to export the Apple epub books.

I’ve kept and eye on ebook development for years but I don’t intend to bite if I’m locked-in to one device and if there are few ebooks. Just a week ago, for example, I checked 10 books on my wish list and found only one Kindle edition among them. For my buying profile, a Kindle would make no sense. An expensive ereader would be silly w/o ebooks that I want, so, I’ll be looking at Apple very carefully on this issue.

Posted by MelM on January 27, 2010 at 2:17 PM (PST)

3

The great thing about this iPad is, even if the book you want IS on Kindle and not Apple’s store…well, just run the Kindle app and read it anyway.

As an iPod touch user who has investments in both eReader.com and (albeit smaller in) the Kindle store, this thing is the best of all possible worlds, assuming the iBookstore is accessible from all the iPhone OS devices.

...and now I’ll be selling my laptop, building my desktop machine, and snagging a 3G-enabled 32 GB iPad. Damn you, Apple! My wallet was safe till today!

Posted by Daniel S. on January 27, 2010 at 3:15 PM (PST)

4

I keep waiting to see if any of the “eReader-type” devices out there will have the capacity to show color photos in addition to the black and white print. For instance books about art history and architecture or photography books or even children’s books that obviously would be in color. Is their a chance that apple’s device can do this or do I keep waiting before I buy one of these devices I want so much?

Posted by Linn D. on January 28, 2010 at 5:44 AM (PST)

5

The iPad has a colour screen, so it will most definitely be capable of showing high-quality color photos in its eBooks.  The limitation in this case will be in the format of the original eBook files. 

Kindle and eReader files may only include black and white artwork to begin with since they’re targeted for reading on non-colour devices, but it seems extremely likely that Apple’s iBookstore offerings will provide full colour artwork.

Posted by Jesse Hollington in Toronto on January 28, 2010 at 5:53 AM (PST)

6

I see a lot of noise about the iBookstore, but I can’t find the blasted store itself. Anyone know where the #$%^ it is?

What format are the eBooks in?

Who do you contact to get other publishers listed?

Posted by Al Kalar on January 28, 2010 at 1:50 PM (PST)

7

I understand that the ebooks are in the open EPUB format. Look up EPUB at Wikipedia. In my question at #2 above, I was wondering if the EPUB books available from Project Gutenberg (or anywhere else) can be integrated into the IPad—something like the “Add Folder To Library” feature in iTunes or, perhaps even directly downloaded from Gutenberg.

I’ll be watching what happens with textbooks. A major college biology book, for example, may be 1300+ pages, have plenty of color pics, a 7 lb weight (shipping weight at amazon.com), and a price around $150.00.

I would also like to know if a webcam can be attached for a Skype app. That’s another thread though.

Posted by MelM on January 28, 2010 at 2:46 PM (PST)