iPhone OS 4 to Bring iBooks to iPhone and iPod Touch

[MacRumors]

Apple today announced that iBooks, its App Store ebook reader application released for the iPad in the U.S. last week, will be coming to the iPhone and iPod touch as part of iPhone OS 4 later this year. The iPhone version of iBooks will also offer access to the company's iBookstore, a marketplace where users can purchase and download ebook content.

Currently available only in the United States, Apple has been making plans to extend access internationally, a process that is taking some time to execute due to the complexity of geographic distribution deals with publishers.

Article Link: iPhone OS 4 to Bring iBooks to iPhone and iPod Touch

[jasonq13]

When's iBooks coming to Mac?

[runeapple]

I just wanna watch the god damn video!

anyone found one yet?

[happydude]

iphone is just too small. will be kinda annoying, i think. i have the kindle app and couldn't make it through through the one book i bought. imagine it'll have same issues on iphone.

[doctoree]

I'm willing to bet this feature WILL be on the older hardware! Why? Because Apple earns DOLLARS from it!

[TheFeeblizer]

cramped. I never thought I needed glasses until I started trying to read on that thing.

[fruitpunch.ben]

Originally Posted by happydude

iphone is just too small. will be kinda annoying, i think. i have the kindle app and couldn't make it through through the one book i bought. imagine it'll have same issues on iphone.

I am excited about this.
Seeing as I am in Canada, I will prob purchase my ebooks from apple as it will be $2 cheaper than Amazon since i will not be charged international download fees. I still don't understand with Amazon why i'm charged those fees to use my home internet connection to download a book to my Mac! Ridiculous.
I read books on my iPhone currently, when i have the time, either free books on Stanza, or pdfs using Files lite. The iBook app will just be a more elegant solution.

[Alaris232]

I guess this one isn't major but you can see their thinking being "well why not..."

[Vintage Season]

... and will iBooks run on a first-gen iPhone? As a writer, I want to see it fully implemented for every device.

By the way, anyone who wants a free ebook for their iPad (or whatever other ebook device you have, for that matter) is welcome to grab a copy of my free sci-fi short story, "We Don't Plummet Out of the Sky Anymore."

- M.

[DavidG328]

Definitely going to be difficult to read on that puppy. But can't wait for the update.

[tomatillo]

I've read dozens of books on the iPhone with Stanza and Kindle. No problem. Seems like the iPad is going to be much more inconvenient to hold and to lug around.

[ValSalva]

Kind of a yawner. There is already a book reader app for the iPhone: Kindle.

[CFreymarc]

Originally Posted by Alaris232

I guess this one isn't major but you can see their thinking being "well why not..."

Would not be surprised if this was finished first and they held it back for the iPad launch.

[Tones2]

Wow - This will be my FIFTH eBook reader on the iPhone (Kindle, eReader, Stanza, Barnes & Noble, now iBooks). With must less selection.

Very revolutionary

Tony

[HyperX13]

This was a stupid keynote. Jobs is losing it.

[Bodhi395]

I don't understand why this is only available through OS 4.0.

Isn't it just an app, and couldn't they just load it up on the app store right now and let people download it to their iphone?

[screensaver400]

Bastards. It's pretty ****** that Apple completely copied (and, admittedly, slightly improved) the Classics interface, without giving them any credit or paying for it.

They should have done what they did with Cover Flow and just purchased the app and intellectual property. I'm sure the devs would have accepted $100k, less than a drop in the bucket for Apple.

[nkm]

I think this was a dumb idea. I usually side with apple but his one was just a bad one. I normally hate reading articles on my iPhone like from the nytimes app I couldn't even imagine reading a book. Apple is trying to kill amazon in anyway possible. But I dos remove the need from the amazon kindle app from the iPhone so i can see why they are doing it.

[deconstruct60]

Originally Posted by Bodhi395

I don't understand why this is only available through OS 4.0.

Extremely likely because the application appears to make explicit calls to the new OS 4.0 APIs for scrolling page turning . (the page turn animation is one of the APIs listed on the slideware. http://live.gizmodo.com/page/10/ in the picture right above Job's head "half page curl translation" sounds like the animation you see in iBooks. ) Lots of new software that makes OS 4.0 calls isn't going to work on older operating system.

Isn't it just an app, and couldn't they just load it up on the app store right now and let people download it to their iphone?

Applications run on top of operating systems. Newer operating systems have features that the olders ones don't have. If app is dependent upon the new features then doesn't fly.

Essentially there is stuff they squeezed into iPhone 3.2 for the iPad that is only going to show up on the iPhone for Phone/Touch with the 4.0 release.
Makes lots of sense . 3.2 is going to be superseded by late Fall. It isn't something to release for those platforms.

[deconstruct60]

Originally Posted by Vintage Season

... and will iBooks run on a first-gen iPhone? As a writer, I want to see it fully implemented for every device.

Will first-gen iPhone even run iPhone OS 4.0 should be the question.
This was going to come eventually. At some point the first gen phone will get dropped for OS updates. Just like older Macs are dropped for updates.
Multitasking doesn't even make it to the 2nd gen phone. The first gen is ilkely going to get left behind.

[deconstruct60]

Originally Posted by nkm

But I dos remove the need from the amazon kindle app from the iPhone so i can see why they are doing it.

If you have Kindle books it doesn't remove the need..... unless you want to buy the book again. ( if just using as free book reader maybe, but there were other choices to Kindle before iBooks. )

Kindle's books are locked in its format and iBooks will be locked in Apple's format. You need the specific readers to unlock them to see the content.

[El Cabong]

Yeah, this is idiotic, but they have to streamline their product offerings. The pain of attempting to read on an iPhone/iTouch will make people pine for an iPad. Or, you know, a book.

Originally Posted by jasonq13

When's iBooks coming to Mac?

Probably around the same time iPhone OS comes to Mac.

Originally Posted by Bodhi395

I don't understand why this is only available through OS 4.0.

Isn't it just an app, and couldn't they just load it up on the app store right now and let people download it to their iphone?

It forces people to upgrade to OS 4.0. It's a means to an end, in that sense.

[deconstruct60]

Originally Posted by jasonq13

When's iBooks coming to Mac?

Perhaps after the iPad gets iPhoneOS 4.0 . Open question whether they will co-launch the iBooks for Mac with the one for Windows.

[RollTide1017]

I hope this isnt going to be a default app in the new OS. I don't read books and have no interest in this app and since you can't remove the default apps, I would hate to see this stuck on one of my pages.

[El Cabong]

Originally Posted by RollTide1017

I hope this isnt going to be a default app in the new OS. I don't read books and have no interest in this app and since you can't remove the default apps, I would hate to see this stuck on one of my pages.

Whatever. Stocks, Compass, and Voice Memos have a new friend now.