iBooks (iPhone version) Impressions

[Zinger314]

So far, I'm not overwhelmed. You see only very, very little text before you have to turn the page. It's not as well suited as an iPad to be sure for bookreading.

PDFs especially. You have to zoom in to read any page, then zoom out to turn the page. It's frustrating.

The iPhone 4 might help due to the increased resolution.

 

[Alchematron]

iPhone badly needs a 4 inch screen!

 

[Ironworker808]

I'm not seeing the PDF reader. Does it not appear until you open a PDF?

 

[shanew21]

It's very sluggish. Theres not enough text on a page as well. I downloaded some Harry Potter epub's (internet...not available on any online store yet), and not only were they 1000+ pages, but the iBooks app handled it like it was a 500gb file, not a 5mb file. Very very sluggish, I really hope it works better on iPhone 4

 

[Zinger314]

I'm not seeing the PDF reader. Does it not appear until you open a PDF?

It does not appear until you have a PDF in your library.

 

[hexonxonx]

It's very sluggish. Theres not enough text on a page as well. I downloaded some Harry Potter epub's (internet...not available on any online store yet), and not only were they 1000+ pages, but the iBooks app handled it like it was a 500gb file, not a 5mb file. Very very sluggish, I really hope it works better on iPhone 4

It's super fast on a 3GS so it will be just as fast or better on the new one.

 

[dissdnt]

I think it's cool if you are waiting somewhere and want to bang out a few pages of a book you are currently reading on your iPad. And it syncs your bookmark to your iPad which is awesome, tested this.

I don't think it's really intended to be used as a real book reader, just something casual you can check out while on the go.

 

[thelatinist]

I've had no problem with iBooks. The iPhone's not an iPad, but I still like it better than any other e-book reader I've tried on the iPhone.

 

[hexonxonx]

I've had no problem with iBooks. The iPhone's not an iPad, but I still like it better than any other e-book reader I've tried on the iPhone.

Agreed, it works great. It's no better or worse than trying to watch a movie on that same screen. If you can watch a movie on it, you can read a book on it.

 

[HelveticaNeue]

I am on a 3GS and am not impressed. Seems to take a long time to load bookshelf. And already I have gotten an error prompt (below). It goes away after having the app open for a minute or so. I assume it happens because the app is syncing where I last opened the app and loading the content of the book.

 

[steve knight]

comparing it to stanza I don't see anything outstanding. it does not have a night mode only a dimmer (thats nice) but no colored backgrounds and different choices for day and night. You can't get rid menu's when you don't need it so you loose a couple of lines.
I was able to download most of my books in epub but 300 or so secure books no way. I doubt apple will ever let you read books in other formats like secure ebooks and such.

 

[Ironworker808]

It does not appear until you have a PDF in your library.

Cool. Thank you.

 

[HelveticaNeue]

no colored backgrounds

You can change the page colour to sepia. It's in the text size menu.

 

[Sleazy E]

buy an iPad if you want to use iBooks

 

[steve knight]

You can change the page colour to sepia. It's in the text size menu.

I missed that shock me pink
I was playing a bit more and I find it slow too. to read in the dark you need need to reverse things not just dim the screen. I really like having the dim slider right there but it needs more.
I would have to add artwork to all my epub books. but they are all there with no effort in stanza.
I just can't see the big deal yes it is nice to have the book case but I wonder what it would look like with 500 books?
I see it as slower and less options and the books cost more.

 

[Zinger314]

buy an iPad if you want to use iBooks

Yes, I am aware it was designed for the iPad. Still doesn't excuse the iPhone version.

 

[shanew21]

I missed that shock me pink
I was playing a bit more and I find it slow too. to read in the dark you need need to reverse things not just dim the screen. I really like having the dim slider right there but it needs more.
I would have to add artwork to all my epub books. but they are all there with no effort in stanza.
I just can't see the big deal yes it is nice to have the book case but I wonder what it would look like with 500 books?
I see it as slower and less options and the books cost more.

If you want to reverse things then set up triple click invert colors in the accessibility menu in settings. Triple click home then tadaa!

 

[Djlild7hina]

the app is quite slow on my 3gs... i downloaded a pdf and winnie the pooh and it always gets stuck on some pages and takes forever to load

 

[M87]

It does seem to load slow and changing orientation take a very long time as well. Some of these complaints are ridiculous though. Not enough words on the page? You're reading on a god damn cell phone! Yeah, you're going to have to turn pages a little more often when you're working with a 3-inch screen.

 

[BKNY]

Hey

Not really liking the iBook for the iPhone, cool concept but i believe this iBook was meant for the iPad not a small device as the iphone.

 

[JonBorichef]

Not really liking the iBook for the iPhone, cool concept but i believe this iBook was meant for the iPad not a small device as the iphone.

I agree. Maybe it's better with the iPhone 4, but the 3G S Is not a book reader.

 

[yetanotherdave]

I haven't been able to get my reading place syncing from my iPad to iPhone yet for PDF's, haven't tried ePub yet.
Anyone managed?

 

[Lara F]

I agree. Maybe it's better with the iPhone 4, but the 3G S Is not a book reader.

Nah - Kindle, B&N, Stanza and eReader all work just fine if you adjust the font. Apple left too much margin space in iBooks in comparison. It's visually pretty and great on the iPad, but they should have tweaked it more on the phone.

 

[camholder]

I tried it this morning and was pleasently surprised (which I didn't think I would be). I accept that being a phone, you are either going to have to squint or turn the page every few lines, that limitation is a given. But the overall experience was good.

My only negative comment was the time everything takes to load. I assume that the comments about iBooks trying to sync when opening are correct because I got an error message on London Underground (where you don't have mobile signal). I can't think of another way to do it but having syncing up front does make the whole experience feel sluggish.

 

[kas23]

Anyone who has not read an eBook on their iPhone before is probably going to be in for a shock. Suddenly having the iBooks App on your iPhone is not going to make reading an eBook on your iPhone a fantastic experience. For those of you who regularly read eBoooks on their phone, the experience is likely not going to be anything new.

Give it time. I have been reading eBooks on my iPhone (via Stanza) for many months now and it takes some getting used to. Just have patience. It is really good for reading a book in bed without disturbing your partner or your out-and-about waiting in line somewhere. And change your swipe to a tap (if you can). It's a lot easier turning the pages. You don't want to have to swipe the screen every 20 seconds, but it's easier just to tap the screen.