Without books, whats the point?

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Milton Keynes
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 15
Hello!

Just wanted to share some thoughts with the forum community regarding the iPad.

Let me start by saying I am a Mac convert. Over recent times I have switched ALL hardware at home to Apple... I love the way they develop, and the hardware they produce fits in with all aspects of the way I use technology perfectly!

With that in mind I have been looking at the iPad! I got very excited in the build up in January. I have never allowed myself to be sucked up by media hype before but it was genuinely exciting! Even to the point where I monitored the keynote through a blogging website. When they announced the iPad I was blown away by it... The device is amazing (or maybe Steve Jobs is just great at presenting).

Since then I have been thinking about how I use my laptop (MBP 15) and am finding that the iPad pretty much caters for everything I use my laptop for! Great! However this leads to a problem I have in justifying the purchase straight away... Without the book store being available is there actually a reason to buy it?

Let me iterate what the problem is for me. I have a laptop and an iPhone, both of which fulfill my needs to a degree. The MBP is a bit larger than I would like for just surfing the web, and on my lap it does get hot, but it is perfectly adequate, and the iPhone is great for contacts and calendar operations. The real reason I would buy an iPad would be for books (and probably games :Smirk:) but as yet there is no details of a book store in the UK!

Does anyone, in their experience of interacting with Apple, have any idea of when the book store would become available? Are we talking by the release of the device or afterwards, and if so how long afterwards?

Any help is much appreciated...

Cheers

Moxen
 
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Messages
54
Reaction score
0
Points
6
It was to my understanding that the iBoookstore would launch along side with the iPad next month, but that the iBooks App would only be available here in the states. I'm sure it will eventually become available in European countries within the next year or possibly sooner.

The reason I think an iPad is worth getting is its ability to combine the key features of a smartphone and a labtop. So, like you said, you have both an iPhone and Macbook Pro, but the Mac is of course too big for some quick travel options, like being on a train. And the iPhone doesn't pack the punch of being anything more than a phone with some applications. I'd definitely recommend waiting to purchase an iPad with your case since you mostly want books, but I'd suggest you buy a Kindle if you want books so badly.
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2009
Messages
190
Reaction score
10
Points
18
Location
Houston, TX USA
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 24-inch 3.06GHz
This is a big question to be sure. I'm optimistic about seeing a lot of titles fairly quickly, based on Apple's track record - it didn't take long to populate the App Store, that is for sure.
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Let me start by saying I am a Mac convert. Over recent times I have switched ALL hardware at home to Apple...

Since then I have been thinking about how I use my laptop (MBP 15) and am finding that the iPad pretty much caters for everything I use my laptop for! Great! However this leads to a problem I have in justifying the purchase straight away... Without the book store being available is there actually a reason to buy it?

Welcome to Mac-Forums.

Firstly you couldn't have switched ALL hardware at home to Apple...since Apple no longer sells Apple branded printers (assuming you use a printer at home).

As far as your 2nd statement...well of course if your current laptop does everything that you will use the iPad for...then you don't NEED the iPad. The iPad (to me) is more about the convenience & experience of using the device...unless it had abilities beyond those of a laptop.

Also if the "iBookStore" is the only reason you're going to get the iPad...who is to say that the iBookStore will only be available for the iPad?

There's absolutely no reason why you couldn't read digital books on any laptop. So why would digital books from the iBookStore not eventually (if not right away) be available for laptop users as well. Apples goal (like any business) is to make money...and alienating laptop users from the iBookStore would just reduce revenue.

2 cents,

- Nick
 

RavingMac

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jan 7, 2008
Messages
8,303
Reaction score
242
Points
63
Location
In Denial
Your Mac's Specs
16Gb Mac Mini 2018, 15" MacBook Pro 2012 1 TB SSD
Hello!

... Without the book store being available is there actually a reason to buy it?

This is pretty much the same usage as I plan for my iPad.
We have been told that the iPhone APPs will run on the iPad, I take that to mean Kindle Reader as well. If so, there is no need to buy a Kindle to access the Amazon Kindle books--I currently use it on my iPhone and it works quite well.
Another alternative is Stanza and Calibre--this is to me so far the best combined iPhone APP/Desktop APP match to date. Again, I assume Stanza will run on the iPad as it currently does on the iPhone, if so a whole galaxy of Public Domain and for Purchase ePub books becomes available.

So, I do not see the iBook Store as a neccessity, or even potentially a major asset for books on the iPad unless Stanza and Kindle are crippled or disabled on the iPad.
 
Joined
Jul 18, 2006
Messages
2,180
Reaction score
92
Points
48
Location
Florida
It was to my understanding that the iBoookstore would launch along side with the iPad next month, but that the iBooks App would only be available here in the states. I'm sure it will eventually become available in European countries within the next year or possibly sooner.

The reason I think an iPad is worth getting is its ability to combine the key features of a smartphone and a labtop. So, like you said, you have both an iPhone and Macbook Pro, but the Mac is of course too big for some quick travel options, like being on a train. And the iPhone doesn't pack the punch of being anything more than a phone with some applications. I'd definitely recommend waiting to purchase an iPad with your case since you mostly want books, but I'd suggest you buy a Kindle if you want books so badly.

Does the Kindle have an extra monthly fee? If so what carrier? I was waiting for the iPad also but in weighing it against the Kindle the iPad is higher priced and carries an extra monthly fee with AT&T (which I do not want to go to).
 
Joined
Feb 14, 2010
Messages
262
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Does the Kindle have an extra monthly fee? If so what carrier? I was waiting for the iPad also but in weighing it against the Kindle the iPad is higher priced and carries an extra monthly fee with AT&T (which I do not want to go to).

An iPad is really different from a Kindle. With a Kindle you only read books. With an iPad you do much more. If you only want to read books buy a Kindle but the iPad will offer you much more.
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
There is no monthly fee with the Kindle. There is no monthly fee with the iPad either unless you want to purchase and pay for 3G service.

We've had a Kindle for over a year now. There has yet to be an occasion to purchase and download a book from anywhere except at home. Now this could be different depending on how much some folks travel. But, if you already have a wireless network set up at home, then there still is no cost to downloading all the content you want without 3G.

Cost - the iPad is $10 more than the Kindle DX, 16 shades of black vs full color and no stupid book light required to read in bed - no choice for me without anything else on the iPad. For most folks, there shouldn't be much need for the 3G. If you do get the 3G version, and want to pay for the service for internet access while out of town on vacation or something, it's $15 per month and no contract. Meaning you could take internet on your travels for $15 and then cancel when you get back home. To me, that's not too bad to alleviate depending on some hotel's wi-fi setup. Or if you're like us and do out of the way B&B's that quite often don't have any internet connection available.
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2009
Messages
36
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 24 inch/iPhone 3G
Hello!

Just wanted to share some thoughts with the forum community regarding the iPad.

Let me start by saying I am a Mac convert. Over recent times I have switched ALL hardware at home to Apple... I love the way they develop, and the hardware they produce fits in with all aspects of the way I use technology perfectly!

With that in mind I have been looking at the iPad! I got very excited in the build up in January. I have never allowed myself to be sucked up by media hype before but it was genuinely exciting! Even to the point where I monitored the keynote through a blogging website. When they announced the iPad I was blown away by it... The device is amazing (or maybe Steve Jobs is just great at presenting).

Since then I have been thinking about how I use my laptop (MBP 15) and am finding that the iPad pretty much caters for everything I use my laptop for! Great! However this leads to a problem I have in justifying the purchase straight away... Without the book store being available is there actually a reason to buy it?

Let me iterate what the problem is for me. I have a laptop and an iPhone, both of which fulfill my needs to a degree. The MBP is a bit larger than I would like for just surfing the web, and on my lap it does get hot, but it is perfectly adequate, and the iPhone is great for contacts and calendar operations. The real reason I would buy an iPad would be for books (and probably games :Smirk:) but as yet there is no details of a book store in the UK!

Does anyone, in their experience of interacting with Apple, have any idea of when the book store would become available? Are we talking by the release of the device or afterwards, and if so how long afterwards?

Any help is much appreciated...

Cheers

Moxen

Hi Moxen,

Welcome to the Forum. I personally will be getting an iPad on Day 1 :) I currently have an iPhone but no Macbook. I had been thinking about getting a MBP for some time. I was interested in the 15 inch version but was hesitant because of the price and weight of the MBP.

When Apple announced the iPad I was very happy. It's really going to do just about everything thing that I needed the MBP for such as web surfing, email, music, videos, and photos. Plus I have a couple of iPhone apps that would work a lot better with extra screen space that the iPad is going to provide.

I'll also be downloading ebooks so that I have some reading material when I travel. I'm also hoping that magazines will jump aboard and provided subscriptions at a lower rather than their print versions. We'll just have to wait and see on that.

I'll be getting the WiFi version only. Wifi is pretty available in my area so I shouldn't have too many problems connecting to the Web when I need to plus I didn't relish the thought of forking out an extra $130 dollars up front plus another $30 to AT&T.

As others have stated the iBook store is supposed to be available when the iPad is released. Not sure how many titles there will be but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

My situation is a little different from yours in that you already have a MBP and I don't so there may not be a big need to go out and buy it unless you really want to use the iBook store versus Amazon's Kindle. When the iPad is released you should go down to your local Apple Store and take a look at it to see if the experience on the iPad is superior than the Kindle and that might be the deciding factor in your decision.

Good luck!!!
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
Since you mentioned the UK, Jobs mentioned trying to have something in place there by maybe June or July in the Keynote. Probably the U.S. will be the only country with the bookstore available from Day 1.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2004
Messages
760
Reaction score
22
Points
18
Location
New Zealand
Your Mac's Specs
13" MBA. 15" MBP. iPhone 4. 3G Pad 2.
The book store was one of the reasons I was planning on buying an iPad.

In New Zealand so the Kindle in any shape or form is Not available, now no iBooks available on the iPad either. Just hope it doesn't take too darn long to get sorted.
 

RavingMac

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jan 7, 2008
Messages
8,303
Reaction score
242
Points
63
Location
In Denial
Your Mac's Specs
16Gb Mac Mini 2018, 15" MacBook Pro 2012 1 TB SSD
The book store was one of the reasons I was planning on buying an iPad.

In New Zealand so the Kindle in any shape or form is Not available, now no iBooks available on the iPad either. Just hope it doesn't take too darn long to get sorted.

If Stanza works the same as it does on the iPhone you can still purchase and read or downlead free ePub books.
 
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Messages
4,934
Reaction score
207
Points
63
Location
Anytown, USA
Your Mac's Specs
27" iMac 2.7GHz Core i5, iPhone 6, iPad Air 2, 4th gen Apple TV
People seem to be stuck on this idea that the current capabilities and apps available for the iPad are completely static and nothing else will ever be made, especially not for the iPad. That's just ridiculous and untrue.

Clearly a lot of developers are very excited about this device and are likely going to make a lot of apps that will leverage the the specs of this device to create value that can't be matched on laptops or phones.

That's what made the iPhone so great. That's what's going to make the iPad great. People just need to open their minds a crack and realize this.
 
Joined
Nov 27, 2009
Messages
197
Reaction score
2
Points
18
On the subject of iBooks....Does anyone know if books for the Kindle (I am assuming from Amazon) will be compatible with the iPad or only from the iBook store? There are alot of college text books my wife would like "e" versions of which are available on Amazon, so I am wondering if I can use them on the iPad?
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2007
Messages
5,658
Reaction score
159
Points
63
Location
*Brisvegas*
Your Mac's Specs
17 inch 2 GHz C2D imac (5,1) with 3GB DDR2 RAM, X1600 (128MB memory) GPU - OSX 10.6.3
People seem to be stuck on this idea that the current capabilities and apps available for the iPad are completely static and nothing else will ever be made, especially not for the iPad. That's just ridiculous and untrue.

I agree totally. What excites me about the ipad is bot what is already there for it now. No no. That I really am looking forward to is what the future has install for the ipad. New apps. Business and other sectors finding new and innovative ways to use the product. New ways this product can link into the other products we have and also how it could further link into our daily lives.
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
On the subject of iBooks....Does anyone know if books for the Kindle (I am assuming from Amazon) will be compatible with the iPad or only from the iBook store? There are alot of college text books my wife would like "e" versions of which are available on Amazon, so I am wondering if I can use them on the iPad?

Are we really going to need them. I read somewhere that  has at least 27k books lined up already, and dare i say it, more to come
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2007
Messages
5,658
Reaction score
159
Points
63
Location
*Brisvegas*
Your Mac's Specs
17 inch 2 GHz C2D imac (5,1) with 3GB DDR2 RAM, X1600 (128MB memory) GPU - OSX 10.6.3
Yes because a lot of people have books on the kindle and others and they want to know if they can transfer their books to read them in the ipad.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
I personally wouldn't hold a lot of hope on that, except via the "Kindle for iPhone" app perhaps ...
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
Yes because a lot of people have books on the kindle and others and they want to know if they can transfer their books to read them in the ipad.

I do realise that, but will be interesting to see if its going to happen or eventuate .....
Im sure  will like to keep all revenue to themselves.
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
Can't see Apple all of a sudden disallowing the Kindle app. I'd be willing to wager Amazon will have an updated app for the iPad, if not by it's release date, soon to follow.

Their existing app may work perfectly well, just not sure how text will look in non-updated apps that are just expanded to fit the iPad screen. That's something we'll find out soon enough.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top