Safari unable to download Audible.com file

Question

Safari unable to download Audible.com file

If I purchase an audiobook from Audible.com I can use Safari on my Macintosh to download the file to my computer and/or iTunes.

But Safari on the iPad does not let me do that. It says "Safari can not download this file"

I know the iPad doesn't do SWF/Flash content. But why can't it download audiobooks.

This means I have to bring a computer along with the iPad to listen to new audiobooks on the iPad

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on Apr 19, 2010 10:18 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Apr 19, 2010 10:33 PM in response to Mary Sharon Cohen

Safari on iPad does not know what to do with the file once downloaded so it does not download the file. There is no file system accessible by the user to then do something with a file like you can on a Mac, and even then, the iPod app won't accept files from another app, other than the iTunes app.

You should be able to purchase audio books from iTunes on the iPad when away from your computer.

Reply

Answer 2

Apr 19, 2010 11:13 PM in response to Matthew Smith

Matthew,

Thank you for the information.

What I guess I am confused about is that Safari on the Mac knows how to directly send audible.com audiobooks into my iTunes. So I expected the same on the iPad.

I know there is no file system, but there are files that could be transferred into iTunes.

And as far as buying audiobooks from Apple, that is totally a non-starter. Apple charges much more for its audiobooks.

It doesn't have anywhere near the library that audible.com has.

And once I have downloaded an audio book, Apple throws away all knowlege of the purchase.

With audible.com I can redownload any audiobook years after I originally bought it.

Reply

Answer 3

Apr 19, 2010 11:22 PM in response to Mary Sharon Cohen

The OS on the iPad is quite different to the OS on a Mac. Applications live in their own secure area (the term is sandbox), with very little communication between them. This is for security reasons, but does mean that some things that can be Mac cannot be done on an iPad.

Reply

Answer 4

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,258 points

Apr 20, 2010 7:02 AM in response to Mary Sharon Cohen

What I guess I am confused about is that Safari on the Mac knows how to directly send audible.com audiobooks into my iTunes. So I expected the same on the iPad.

The iPad, just like the iPhone/iPod, is a closed system, not the same at all as the OS X on your Mac. You should be able to transfer your audible stuff from your Mac to your iPad via iTunes. To get stuff directly from audible.com from your iPad, audible.com should create an iPad app, just like Amazon did so people could by Kindle ebooks and read them.

Reply

Answer 5

Apr 20, 2010 10:26 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Thank you all for explaining this.

I think my problem (and perhaps others) is since I am familiar with what Safari and iTunes do on a Mac that I expected that the same applications (with the same names and icons) would work the same on the iPad.

If anything, Apple is guilty of confusing the consumer by making things look identical to their equivalents on the Mac, but then not providing the same functionality.

It feels like Mercedes Benz creating a car that looks just like an SLR-Class vehicle and then we find out it is only a golf cart.

Apple needs to reconsider how they brand their mobile platform.

Reply

Answer 6

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,258 points

Apr 20, 2010 10:45 AM in response to Mary Sharon Cohen

Apple needs to reconsider how they brand their mobile platform.

They don't seem to have had any problem selling millions and millions of iphones and ipod touches with the same functionality differences you are concerned about over the last couple years.

But you can give Apple your views here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

However, the many millions of people using iPhones are quite used to the differences in functionality you are concerned about.

Reply

Answer 7

WBmacUser

Level 2

164 points

Apr 20, 2010 11:41 AM in response to Mary Sharon Cohen

Hi Mary,

Just so you realize, these are user to user support forums. Apple has their own feedback pages where people can direct comments to them. If you really want to get your opinion to them, you do have to use their feedback page.

However, I am sure that other iPad users who are not familiar with using an iPhone would have the same questions you did. So posting it here is ok too.

Reply

Answer 8

Mar 10, 2012 7:32 PM in response to Mary Sharon Cohen

http://www.audible.com/wireless/iphone

I know this is an old thread. Just in case you have not seen this

warm regards

phantom

Reply

Answer 9

Feb 20, 2013 8:58 PM in response to Mary Sharon Cohen

I'm by no means an expert on this thing, but I was having the same problem when on my ipad. Turns out that I had to go into audible.com to purchase the book and then go to my audible app on my ipad to download it. If I tried to download it from the website, it would give me this msg "Safari can not download this file." Once I went into the app and hit download in the "my library" section, it was fine.

Reply