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Reading iBooks on macBook Pro??

Is it possible to download and read iBooks on my MacBook Pro?

mac book pro, Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on May 10, 2010 6:57 PM

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Posted on May 10, 2010 7:16 PM

No - this required the iBooks app. The iBooks app is for the iPad and the same will be available for the iPhone when firmware update 4.0 for the iPhone is released this summer.

An app written for OS X on a Mac can't be installed and used on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and an app written for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad can't be installed and used on a Mac.
236 replies

Dec 30, 2010 5:57 AM in response to MTG68

Apple does not have an ibook function for your mac or macbook for one simple reason. If they did, you wouldn't rush out and buy an ipad.


Nonsense. iBooks is hardly the main attraction of the iPad, especially considering the limited selection of books it has compared to Kindle.app. The idea that someone would buy a Mac to have Flash also seems ludicrous, but who knows...

Jan 5, 2011 6:50 AM in response to chims

The only reason apps are not available for the computer is that Apple wouldn't sell any iPads. iPhones are phones and iPods are MP3 players. But an iPad is an in-between for people who like to hoard tech toys. Borders (the bookstore) has an eReader app for the Mac. The computer. With a store. All the books you want. Get that. The smallest font size is a bit large, but at least I can read on my laptop. Finally.

Feb 9, 2011 10:19 PM in response to Steve Wilkinson

I absolutely agree with you. I have several titles in iBooks, but I have not paid for a single one of them through the iBookstore. There are so many issues with DRM on ebooks that I refuse to purchase them. I would be a very willing consumer of ebooks if I could use them on the platform and reader of my choice.

Suggestions for Apple:
Desktop version of iBooks, DRM free ebooks, syncing between ibooks on different devices.

Were at 1/3. Hopefully the other two will be forthcoming.

Feb 16, 2011 3:28 PM in response to chims

Hi. I assume this has already been said, but just in case:

1. Reading. You can use Sigil, Stanza, Adobe Digital Editions (ADE), or Calibre to read iBooks. The iBooks are stored in ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Books/ (each of these is a folder inside a folder inside your home folder). Just install one of the above programs and double-click your ebook. If the ebook is DRM-protected, you might be able to read it with ADE- I've not tried this yet. Most of my epubs are Gutenberg editions from Feedbooks.com or Manybooks.net. Those epubs are out-of-copyright and have no DRM.

2. Future readability. Epubs are an open content format (unless DRM'ed). They're basically zip files of websites - just a folder full of html files and images. So they are good for archival purposes. As for claiming that Kindle is the way to go, I disagree. It's completely closed. And I think Amazon is more likely to lose to Apple, given how Apple has taken the market with iOS devices. And not only is Amazon's format closed, but it has the same threat over it that iBooks does: Amazon can delete files off your device and their files are DRM'ed. At least SOME epubs - the ones worth reading - aren't.

Reading iBooks on macBook Pro??

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