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Google Play Books Updated with Textbook Support, Book Rental Capabilities

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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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30,712



Google has updated its Google Play Books app, adding support for both rental books and textbooks, which were added today to the Google Play Store.

Textbooks can be rented or purchased via the website, and then accessed in the iOS app itself. Once added to a personal book list on the website, the textbooks will show up in the app, though they will be displayed in the same section as regular books.

googleplaybooks.jpg
Google first announced its plan to include textbooks in its Google Play Store at its I/O conference earlier this year as part of its Google Play for Education initiative, designed to get Google products into schools. Apple too has been pushing to expand its educational programs and plans to offer a number of new school-friendly iPad options for both students and teachers with the release of iOS 7.

In addition to support for textbooks, the Google Play Books update also brings highlighting and note-taking for scanned pages, a sepia reading mode, and stability and performance improvements.
What's new
Highlighting and note-taking are now supported in scanned pages books.
Added support for rental books.
Added sepia reading mode.
Stability and performance improvements.
Click to expand...
Google Play Books can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Google Play Books Updated with Textbook Support, Book Rental Capabilities
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/08/google-play-books-updated-with-textbook-support-book-rental-capabilities/
phoenixsan

phoenixsan

macrumors 65816
Oct 19, 2012
1,342
2
That would be nice.....

rent a book, say, for a semester, when needed. Can be savings for students and academic staff....:D
 
ArtOfWarfare

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,558
6,058
phoenixsan said:
rent a book, say, for a semester, when needed. Can be savings for students and academic staff....:D
Click to expand...

Apple doesn't support this notion and neither do I. If a book is worth having for the semester and the education is worth getting in the first place, then the book is worth having for life.

But most books aren't even worth having for the semester, in my experience.
 
ValSalva

ValSalva

macrumors 68040
Jun 26, 2009
3,783
259
Burpelson AFB
Is this a deal Google made with the publishers? I wouldn't think Google could unilaterally do this on their own. But knowing Google they might do it without permission and then 'negotiate' later :rolleyes:
 
Banyan Bruce

Banyan Bruce

macrumors regular
Jun 8, 2009
148
13
Devon, UK
iBooks in danger of missing a trick

The cost and inaccessibility (or lack of universal access) restricts the usefulness of some excellent textbooks on iBooks. Apple aren't really that serious at getting these books into mainstream education. When money is tight, the folk with the money and students they support wish for Apple products, but purchase MS and Google. Simply because Education spending is purely cost driven and generally has little or no sense of value for money.

That being said, Apple don't help themselves with restrictive practises and high cost of entry. They will still make plenty of money (profit), but it will be on volume and halo sales.
 
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