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Books App Gets Redesign in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16
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The worst part about a new Books app is that it can sometimes mess with my organized collections. I really hope it doesn’t this time.
I moved my library from Kindle to Apple a few years ago. Never looked back. Heavy reader here. Up till recently I was an iPad reader. Now trying to switch my reading to my MacBook and my iPhone.
Just bugs the hell out of me the margin space waste on my iPhone. Yes, I can read in landscape mode and that's ok, but the Kindle app on my 13 Pro Max utilizes my entire screen in portrait mode. I wish the Apple Books app would do the same thing.
While it looks like we gained line spacing customization and what not, it still does not use the full screen space like most apps on iOS?
The paper options screenshot utilizes the full screen but it looks like the actual text does not?
Just bugs the hell out of me the margin space waste on my iPhone. Yes, I can read in landscape mode and that's ok, but the Kindle app on my 13 Pro Max utilizes my entire screen in portrait mode. I wish the Apple Books app would do the same thing.
While it looks like we gained line spacing customization and what not, it still does not use the full screen space like most apps on iOS?
The paper options screenshot utilizes the full screen but it looks like the actual text does not?
Can't believe I missed this article. I absolutely love iCloud Books because I can drop a DRM free EPUB / PDF into my Apple Books app and have it instantly available on all my Apple devices. I've got almost 380 books in my Apple library and never have had a problem with them disappearing or what not. Now, Apple remembering the last page is a little buggy sometimes...
I really want to read on my iPhone more. I'm tired of having a ton of devices and a $700-$900 iPad is hard to justify for just reading.
I really want to read on my iPhone more. I'm tired of having a ton of devices and a $700-$900 iPad is hard to justify for just reading.
Whats wrong with using a iPad Mini 6 for your reading? It sure beats a iPhone!I moved my library from Kindle to Apple a few years ago. Never looked back. Heavy reader here. Up till recently I was an iPad reader. Now trying to switch my reading to my MacBook and my iPhone.
Just bugs the hell out of me the margin space waste on my iPhone. Yes, I can read in landscape mode and that's ok, but the Kindle app on my 13 Pro Max utilizes my entire screen in portrait mode. I wish the Apple Books app would do the same thing.
While it looks like we gained line spacing customization and what not, it still does not use the full screen space like most apps on iOS?
I use a Mini 6. Anyways only books bought in the apple bookstore to seem to work right. I have imported books via web sources and have had issues with them vanishing and having other problems.
I've never tried that. Hmm...
EDIT: I guess I find out if any of them have DRM, and what that does to them when I try...
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I agree, it's easier to read on an iPad but it's just another device I have to lug around and manage. I've got my phone with me all the time everywhere I go. It's also my car keys now too so really nice having less things I have to fiddle around with as I'm doing my stuff.
I almost got a mini 6 yesterday with Best Buy's $100 off but I've been reading on my iPhone (13 Pro Max) landscape mode for a little bit now - and on my MBP when I'm at home.
I love my Mini6, but it's being a little odd with battery life lately so... Hmm...
I did try reading on my iPhone, but just couldn't. Reading on a mac while riding my trainer worked, but I changed routines and need to know what's coming up next in the daily pain plan...
Agreed! I have been reading off an iPad Pro 11 for the last handful of years. I average about 50-60 books a year (on the iPad).
Last few years I've tried to give up my iPad addiction and transfer my reading to my MacBook and my iPhone. After a month or two I usually go back to an iPad until later trying again because I notice my reading is cut by 80%+.
This year I sold my iPad and I've been doing my MBP and my iPhone for the last few months. Here's what I've seen...
I can read on an iPad Pro 11 for 5-6 hours - no strain, no problem, fairly easily. I want to read when I'm on this.
I can only read for a few hours on my iPhone 13 Pro Max before feeling discomfort, fatigue, and no desire to continue reading.
I can read for 2-3 hours on my MBP and while there is no eye discomfort, my body doesn't enjoy a heavy MBP 16' on my lap for that long of a time period. I think it's easier to move around with an iPad.
Re Phone: I find the most comfortable reading position for my iPhone is in portrait mode. Every freaking app on my phone (including Apple News) utilizes the entire screen space for text except for Apple Books. In Portrait mode Apple Books has so much wasted margin space it is not comfortable to read. In landscape mode text is comfortable'ish but scrolling is so frequent it's distracting and ... holding the phone this way, I have just not gotten used to it.
But I want to. Turning down brightness, True Tone, Night Mode, that OLED screen with a matte screen protector is nice to read.
I read an article that the size of the canvas on which you work on tends to affect your creativity levels. So a smaller screen = less creativity, bigger screen = more creativity. I do enjoy reading on my MBP 16's screen (2 column, almost full page) but it's such a hassle to disconnect from my desktop and read on.
I went back to paper and pen this year and it's been amazing. Having several clipboards of high end printer paper with liquid ink has done wonders for my note taking and my ability to recall important information, especially for work. Never could replicate that with my iPad 11 (Notability). I can scan them in with my iPhone to OneNote/Files if I need.
Was it Star Trek Nemesis or First Contact where Picard had a desk full of PADDs?
How I view my desk full of papers. I can't afford that many iPads, lol.Anyway. I've been begging Apple (via feedback) to utilize the full margin spacing on my iPhone 13 Pro Max but doesn't look like it's there - but the ability to change line height is a start.
I also enjoy reading books on my iPhone. I have an iPhone 12 mini, and I simply pump up the font size until it fits about six lines in landscape mode. (I first started reading ebooks on an iPhone 3Gs, then later on an iPhone 4 and the original iPhone SE, so the screen size of the iPhone 12 mini is no problem at all.)
It's a lot of page-turning, though, for sure 🤣
It's a lot of page-turning, though, for sure 🤣
I am working to get here. I've read several books on my iPhone this year - first time ever. I do a lot more reading on my iPhone than I ever have before. It's so convenient having just 1 device that I always have with me. If you can do a mini, I should be able to do a 13 PM.
There are a handful of other posters who also say they read on their iPhones and have for years. I want to get there too
.
I never fully appreciated just how horrible the white space in Apple Books truly was until I went back to check out Amazon's Kindle app on my iPhone. I hadn't opened Kindle for iOS in years, so I'm kind of impressed how far it's come... and to add insult to injury, it also still offers those gorgeous page-turning animations that were originally the exclusive domain of Apple Books.
I've actually gone the other way. I've been an avid e-book reader for over 20 years — going back to the days of Palm devices — and used to read a lot on my iPhone. It was my first iPhone 6 Plus that made me ditch the iPad mini for that. For a few years, I read e-books daily on my iPhone — like the best camera, the best e-reader is the one you always have with you.
However, I recently came to realize that I'm not reading as much on my iPhone as I used to. Maybe it's just that my eyes are getting old and tired, but I just can't sit down and get into a book on my iPhone the way I once could. It's fine for short-form reading, but there's some kind of mental resistance I have with using it for more than short stints. It didn't happen all at once, but over the past couple of years I realized I've been reading less and less on my iPhone.
I had a 2020 11-inch iPad Pro, but that's always been too big and cumbersome for the way I like to read. I recently sold it off as I wasn't using it enough to justify keeping it around until it depreciates more. I had been considering an iPad mini 6 instead as that seems to be the "right" size for reading, but it also feels like overkill — both in price and features — to buy just for reading.
A few weeks ago I dug my 2012 Kindle Paperwhite out of mothballs to give it a spin, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much more comfortable it was to handle due to the smaller size and to read on the e-ink display. So, I picked up a new Kindle Paperwhite on Prime Day, and I've been thoroughly enjoying it. The distraction-free experience is nice too... I was using a "Reading" Focus Mode on my iPhone, but that doesn't solve my tendency to get easily distracted on my own. I pop over to Safari to look something up or email or social media to share a thought and before you know it I've gone down a rabbit hole and abandoned my book. The Kindle offers no such temptations. There's a nice cognitive disconnect between reading and doing other stuff.
The Kindle is also substantially more durable, and it's waterproof too. Not a huge issue with a modern iPhone, but there are no iPads that can match that. I'd be much more nervous about taking an iPad mini 6 camping or out to the beach or pool.
Apple actually has an odd fixation with white space that trickles into many of its first-party apps. It's not as noticeable, but you can see it with Apple Mail when you compare it to others like Spark or Gmail. Apple News it much better; any differences seem to be more about the publications than the design of the News app.
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Why read on a phone? Why not a iPad? Much bigger screen.I am working to get here. I've read several books on my iPhone this year - first time ever. I do a lot more reading on my iPhone than I ever have before. It's so convenient having just 1 device that I always have with me. If you can do a mini, I should be able to do a 13 PM.
There are a handful of other posters who also say they read on their iPhones and have for years. I want to get there too
A phone is always something I have with me. I'm spending insane $$$ on a phone so I want to utilize it more in my life. The OLED screen is really nice to read on but the screen is tiny.
An iPad is a lot of $ to justify for just something I'd read books on. It's another device I have to lug around and remember to charge/use.
That said, I've used an iPad heavily since the days of the iPad 3 so they're really great devices and that may be the answer to go back to one (again).
Agreed! I have been reading off an iPad Pro 11 for the last handful of years. I average about 50-60 books a year (on the iPad).
Last few years I've tried to give up my iPad addiction and transfer my reading to my MacBook and my iPhone. After a month or two I usually go back to an iPad until later trying again because I notice my reading is cut by 80%+.
This year I sold my iPad and I've been doing my MBP and my iPhone for the last few months. Here's what I've seen...
I can read on an iPad Pro 11 for 5-6 hours - no strain, no problem, fairly easily. I want to read when I'm on this.
I can only read for a few hours on my iPhone 13 Pro Max before feeling discomfort, fatigue, and no desire to continue reading.
I can read for 2-3 hours on my MBP and while there is no eye discomfort, my body doesn't enjoy a heavy MBP 16' on my lap for that long of a time period. I think it's easier to move around with an iPad.
Re Phone: I find the most comfortable reading position for my iPhone is in portrait mode. Every freaking app on my phone (including Apple News) utilizes the entire screen space for text except for Apple Books. In Portrait mode Apple Books has so much wasted margin space it is not comfortable to read. In landscape mode text is comfortable'ish but scrolling is so frequent it's distracting and ... holding the phone this way, I have just not gotten used to it.
But I want to. Turning down brightness, True Tone, Night Mode, that OLED screen with a matte screen protector is nice to read.
I read an article that the size of the canvas on which you work on tends to affect your creativity levels. So a smaller screen = less creativity, bigger screen = more creativity. I do enjoy reading on my MBP 16's screen (2 column, almost full page) but it's such a hassle to disconnect from my desktop and read on.
I went back to paper and pen this year and it's been amazing. Having several clipboards of high end printer paper with liquid ink has done wonders for my note taking and my ability to recall important information, especially for work. Never could replicate that with my iPad 11 (Notability). I can scan them in with my iPhone to OneNote/Files if I need.
Was it Star Trek Nemesis or First Contact where Picard had a desk full of PADDs?
Anyway. I've been begging Apple (via feedback) to utilize the full margin spacing on my iPhone 13 Pro Max but doesn't look like it's there - but the ability to change line height is a start.
This is exactly what gets me. I have a 13 Pro (not Max), an iMac, and a 12.9" iPad that is my primary device. Love that iPad, and enjoy reading on it, but always feels big and cumbersome to me for books. When I had a mini in the past, it just felt like a perfect size. I used a mini 6 for a few months and it just felt like the perfect size for books. But in a similar manner to what you described, I hated the feeling of managing yet another device. Felt wasteful almost, especially given it was upwards of $1000 CAD including tax (and I'm not a fan of the screen and UI, but that can be overlooked when really just using it for books). When I had it though, I was going through nearly one book per week. I had the feeling that I wanted to pick it up and read. I've tried the same between my iPhone and 12.9" iPad Pro, and it just doesn't stick for me for some reason.
Exactly how I feel. I borrowed a friend's kindle paper white once. actually a nice device - small, light and very comfortable to hold.
Same. Plus the Libby app uses the Kin die app when you borrow library e-books so that kind keeps me locked in there.
Amazing reply - thank you for taking the time to write this.
I too can't stand to spend more than a few hours at most on my iPhone before I just don't want to read anymore. With my iPad 11 (back when I had it) I could get lost in a book and WOW 4-5 hours went by without me realizing it and I wanted to keep reading. I am one of those who prefers to pick up a book and finish it in the same instance if I can.
I haven't been able to replicate that WANT to read on my iPhone no matter how hard I've tried.
If I didn't have 380 books in Apple Books, I think I'd more readily be open to Kindle. Modern paper whites are amazing!
I think that's it. You can try to force things to work but some things just really click and it can be different for each person. Figuring out what works for you yourself can be quite a journey.
I frequently fly long distance (6 hours or more) so for me a iPad mini is a lifesaver. I am not watching movies on a tiny iPhone screen.
I can relate. It was worse for me because I used to have that desire, but it just slowly slipped away over the past 2–3 years, and I didn't even notice it until I realized that I had two or three books that I'd just sort of left hanging.
It's kind of ironic as I still had about a half-dozen books sitting in my Kindle library from 10+ years ago that I had meant to read, but kind of forgot about when I switched to Apple Books.
Fortunately, I tend to purchase books only when I'm actually ready to start reading them, so I had an extensive "Want to Read" list in Apple Books, but that was much easier to translate over to an Amazon wish list 😏 There were about three books I was already (sort of) reading in Apple Books that I repurchased from Amazon; I've already finished two of them, and I've only had the new Kindle Paperwhite for about 10 days 😂
Agreed! I have been reading off an iPad Pro 11 for the last handful of years. I average about 50-60 books a year (on the iPad).
Last few years I've tried to give up my iPad addiction and transfer my reading to my MacBook and my iPhone. After a month or two I usually go back to an iPad until later trying again because I notice my reading is cut by 80%+.
This year I sold my iPad and I've been doing my MBP and my iPhone for the last few months. Here's what I've seen...
I can read on an iPad Pro 11 for 5-6 hours - no strain, no problem, fairly easily. I want to read when I'm on this.
I can only read for a few hours on my iPhone 13 Pro Max before feeling discomfort, fatigue, and no desire to continue reading.
I can read for 2-3 hours on my MBP and while there is no eye discomfort, my body doesn't enjoy a heavy MBP 16' on my lap for that long of a time period. I think it's easier to move around with an iPad.
Re Phone: I find the most comfortable reading position for my iPhone is in portrait mode. Every freaking app on my phone (including Apple News) utilizes the entire screen space for text except for Apple Books. In Portrait mode Apple Books has so much wasted margin space it is not comfortable to read. In landscape mode text is comfortable'ish but scrolling is so frequent it's distracting and ... holding the phone this way, I have just not gotten used to it.
But I want to. Turning down brightness, True Tone, Night Mode, that OLED screen with a matte screen protector is nice to read.
I read an article that the size of the canvas on which you work on tends to affect your creativity levels. So a smaller screen = less creativity, bigger screen = more creativity. I do enjoy reading on my MBP 16's screen (2 column, almost full page) but it's such a hassle to disconnect from my desktop and read on.
I went back to paper and pen this year and it's been amazing. Having several clipboards of high end printer paper with liquid ink has done wonders for my note taking and my ability to recall important information, especially for work. Never could replicate that with my iPad 11 (Notability). I can scan them in with my iPhone to OneNote/Files if I need.
Was it Star Trek Nemesis or First Contact where Picard had a desk full of PADDs?
Anyway. I've been begging Apple (via feedback) to utilize the full margin spacing on my iPhone 13 Pro Max but doesn't look like it's there - but the ability to change line height is a start.
I've got the larger IPP and found it nice to use for reading, but at night, and in bed, as I start to drift off to sleep, that think hitting my forehead really can hurt! **OUCH** I am on my second IPP as well, as the firs tone wouldn't dial down the brightness very much, or very well either, and would flare at times. Thie replacement seems easier to use, but still wants to ding my forehead. I may switch to the IPP as the Mini6 seems to bother my eyes after a while. No idea what that means, but... I have the Magic IPP 'case', and it's a little harder to lug around, and not as protective if it falls to the floor off the bed bu tis lighter than the Otterbox case by pounds
...Glad you found your device. I used to have a stepper machine and read many physical books on that thing. Averaging 2 to 3 a month. I was on it for a minimum of an hour, and as long as over 2. The wife talked me into selling it, and maybe I should have gotten a different wife. (Oops, I did not say that
) The iPad on the stepper didn't work so well. Even with a case, it slipped a bit from side to side.
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The iPhone I have in my pocket beats the iPad mini I have at home on my night stand.