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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Google has updated its Google Play Books iOS app following its keynote address at Google I/O this morning, adding support for user uploaded PDF and ePub files.

googleplayuploads.jpg
Google Play, the world's largest eBook collection, just got bigger. Now, you can upload your own files to Google Play Books to access on Android, iOS, and the web. Whether you're a student with a backpack full of PDF printouts or an avid reader with hundreds of pages held captive on your computer, relieve your back and start adding files today!

After uploading your files, you can enjoy reading them with all the nice features available: bookmarks, highlights and notes, dictionary and more. What's more, your reading progress, highlights etc are synced to the cloud, so if you have multiple devices, you can easily pick up reading anywhere!
The Google Play Books app has also been redesigned to add a Read Now section, featuring books that have been recently purchased, upload, or read. This update also brings both stability and performance improvements.

Apple has long supported the ability to upload both ePub and PDF files through iTunes so the new version of the Google Play Books app brings it up to speed with iBooks.

Google Play Books is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
 

Klae17

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2011
1,226
1,576
You know what I love about all these updates from Google? Because it MIGHT get Apple to move on the old and tired iOS. Hoping!
 

Saturn1217

macrumors 65816
Apr 28, 2008
1,262
832
I would also like to know this. The android app was also updated but when I go to the Google Play books section I don't see that uploads option. Just "Purchases" and "Samples". Maybe things are still being updated?

This has been a HUGE wish of mine so if this actually works I will be very excited.
 

jclo

Managing Editor
Staff member
Dec 7, 2012
1,969
4,300
dumb question-how do we upload the files? I don't see anything in the Play store area mentioning it...

I think that it is still being rolled out to customers at this time, I didn't have the upload option in the screenshot either.
 

4TheLoveOfTech

macrumors 6502
Feb 27, 2013
432
0
dumb question-how do we upload the files? I don't see anything in the Play store area mentioning it...

According to an article I read on Engadget it says that as of now you can only upload from play on the computer and it's not live for everyone yet.

I'm in California and it's not available for me yet.

Here's the link they had.

You need a Google Account to access it as far as I know.

https://play.google.com/books/uploads
 

Huracan

macrumors 6502
Jan 9, 2007
335
281
When would Apple allow reading iBooks from any platform, i.e. through a browser? Perhaps through iCloud website. This is ridiculous. Amazon and Google are much better value for your book dollars, as you can read the material in many more platforms than iBooks.

Does anyone have a good reason why one should buy a book from the Apple bookstore as opposed to Amazon or Google to give an example? Perhaps I am missing something. Hopefully this will make Apple wake up and provide more value to their customers.
 
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Lex Yu

macrumors member
Nov 27, 2009
32
0
Does anyone have a good reason why one should buy a book from the Apple bookstore as opposed to Amazon or Google to give an example? Perhaps I am missing something.

Because when you buy eBooks from elsewhere, Steve Jobs will cry in heaven. You don't turn down Apple's expectation, Apple will turn down yours. And I'm not kidding.

You might call me a Fxxboy, but I know what Jesu... I mean Jobs wants us to do.
 

conradwt

macrumors member
Nov 21, 2005
94
10
When would Apple allow reading iBooks from any platform, i.e. through a browser? Perhaps through iCloud website. This is ridiculous. Amazon and Google are much better value for your book dollars, as you can read the material in many more platforms than iBooks.

Does anyone have a good reason why one should buy a book from the Apple bookstore as opposed to Amazon or Google to give an example? Perhaps I am missing something. Hopefully this will make Apple wake up and provide more value to their customers.

I read a lot of technical books. Thus, I can usually get better deals on eBooks directly from publisher's website than Apple, Google, or Amazon. Furthermore, Apple uses the EPub format which works great for iDevices. However, Amazon only sells the Kindle format if you're talking about eBooks. Last but not least, why in world would I want to upload the eBooks that I have purchased?
 

itsvdiddy

macrumors member
Jun 5, 2008
67
3
Last but not least, why in world would I want to upload the eBooks that I have purchased?

If you purchase eBook on let's say a work computer, but your iTunes is on your home computer Mac. What would be the easiest more secure way (besides emailing it) to transfer back home? Voila, uploading it to the cloud.

I think Apple is slowly, very slowly getting this cloud concept, but it's still in piecemeal. Slowly moving mac services to web (Mac mail, iWorks, address book, safari bookmarks, app and iBooks sync, iCloud and iOS backup and photo stream, iTunes Match (but you have to pay for that one), etc), but at this point they're playing catchup and aside from iTunes Match, it's tough to say that Apple is doing anything better.
 

Snowy_River

macrumors 68030
Jul 17, 2002
2,520
0
Corvallis, OR
If you purchase eBook on let's say a work computer, but your iTunes is on your home computer Mac. What would be the easiest more secure way (besides emailing it) to transfer back home? Voila, uploading it to the cloud.

Why not just redownload it when you get home? So long as the two computers both are connected to the same iTunes account, there's no problem here.

If the ebook in question is from another source, then, I would agree that Apple could make it a little easier to get it into iBooks, such as clicking on an ePub file in an email. But I don't see the need for a "cloud" solution.

I, personally, prefer iBooks for reading, for a number of reasons. However, I get many of my books in ePub format from other sources. Not having much in the way of non-iDevices, the lack of such support doesn't effect me that much. However, I am one who supports the idea of Apple creating broader support for more platforms with iBooks.
 

alent1234

macrumors 603
Jun 19, 2009
5,688
170
If you purchase eBook on let's say a work computer, but your iTunes is on your home computer Mac. What would be the easiest more secure way (besides emailing it) to transfer back home? Voila, uploading it to the cloud.

I think Apple is slowly, very slowly getting this cloud concept, but it's still in piecemeal. Slowly moving mac services to web (Mac mail, iWorks, address book, safari bookmarks, app and iBooks sync, iCloud and iOS backup and photo stream, iTunes Match (but you have to pay for that one), etc), but at this point they're playing catchup and aside from iTunes Match, it's tough to say that Apple is doing anything better.


amazon kindle

buy on amazon and read on almost any device and any webkit browser

ibooks are a joke except for your own files
 

zosokm

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2012
172
49
iBooks is better. Kindle only works with books from amazon store. Stanza was on of the best ebook readers but unfortunately is no longer getting updates
 

Keane16

macrumors 6502a
Dec 8, 2007
810
671
When would Apple allow reading iBooks from any platform, i.e. through a browser? Perhaps through iCloud website. This is ridiculous. Amazon and Google are much better value for your book dollars, as you can read the material in many more platforms than iBooks.

Never - not Apple's business model.

Apple - wants to sell as much of their own hardware as possible - releasing their software (apart from iTunes) on competing platforms makes little sense to boost hardware sales.
Google - wants as many users on any platform as possible - the more users the ad impressions. They do this by releasing their software and services everywhere.
Amazon - wants as many people using their web store as possible. And use their hardware to help lock them into that ecosystem (see the Kindle file format when they could use ePub, Amazon App Store when Google Play would've sufficed).

All 3 have different aims. And different strategies. Rather than waiting for Apple to change, you may want to buy your tech devices and media from a company(ies) which meets your needs.

For me personally the Apple method works great.
 

PracticalMac

macrumors 68030
Jan 22, 2009
2,857
5,242
Houston, TX
Same ploy Apple used years ago.

By being as compatible as possible with Microsoft, they stayed in the game.

Google is offering all its apps on iOS, so if a user wanted to try Android, its all there too!
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,598
7,768
If the ebook in question is from another source, then, I would agree that Apple could make it a little easier to get it into iBooks, such as clicking on an ePub file in an email. But I don't see the need for a "cloud" solution.

I haven't personally tried clicking on ePub files in email, but it should work. It works with ePub files from websites like Project Gutenburg, and with ePub files in my Dropbox. Just click on an ePub, and you get an "open in..." dialogue, select iBooks, and boom, your ePub opens in iBooks. Next time you sync with iTunes, the ePubs get transferred to your computer -- if it doesn't automatically transfer, do a "transfer purchases" command on your iPad. I have a ton of ePubs I've imported into iBooks from many different sources using this method.
 

macsmurf

macrumors 65816
Aug 3, 2007
1,200
948
iBooks is better. Kindle only works with books from amazon store.

You're wrong,

Kindle works with ebooks you upload as well. You can then download the book to any kindle device or any device with the kindle app. Kindle will also sync to the furthest location read on another device. You can delete and redownload a book at any time.
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,598
7,768
Kindle will also sync to the furthest location read on another device.

So does iBooks. In fact, I believe iBooks is better, as it syncs to the latest read location in the book, rather than the furthest location. So lets say you jump around inside a book, going back and forth, Kindle doesn't necessarily get you back to where you were last, if it always goes back to the furthest location, like you say.
 
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