Q: How Can I Read iBooks on my Laptop?

Well said Garr Mueller!  I wonder if anyone at Apple is paying attention.

slmUSA wrote:

 

I wonder if anyone at Apple is paying attention.

Today marks 2 years since this particular thread began, and there are many others where the same complaints have been voiced by a multitude of users during that time.  It seems that Apple for some reason does not consider the losses caused by not having an iBooks for OS X to be that significant.

Perhaps in Apple's view they would lose more iOS device sales that it would offset the loss of book sales on iBooks. There must be _some_ reason for it other than sheer pig-headedness.

As a long time Apple user (since 1980) I have always liked Apple's products and am a firm believer in Apple's seamless approach of old. But the iOS device seems to have changed that. Now there are even apps that _only_ run on the iPad and on nothing else.  Apple seems to think that we, their customers, will understand this demarc between the iOS devices and their Mac products. That we don't should be a clue to them that we view _anything_ from Apple as being in that seamless milieu.

Apple, you either need to do a better job of explaining this or your customers are going to become disillusioned with your company and maybe start to look for alternatives to more than just iBooks.  I already have ditched iBooks even though there are several titles I really want that are _only_ on iBooks. I still went with Amazon and the Kindle reader (DX which I _LOVE_).  If Amazon started selling computers, I might give those a look, too...

Well said!  I love Apple's seamless promise; waiting for the realization of it!  I switched from PCs & laptops to a MacBook Pro because I was tired of Microsoft reinventing their operating system every few years!  So stupid to have to keep updating hardware to keep up with yet another OS, which may or may not be any good.  I hope Apple knows the reason people pay twice as much for a Mac is because they expect quality, committment, and functionality in a beautiful package.  Mac users are loyal for a reason.  People don't go to Paris for a Big Mac!

I want to read iBooks I BUY on my APPLE MacBook Pro.  Whatever happened to seamless?  We're not all asking for free book readers on non-Apple products.  Apple users are willing to pay for iBook readers to read iBooks they BOUGHT on their Macs.  What's wrong with wanting that?  Seamless doesn't exist.

You can try leaving feedback for Apple : http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Hello all,

I was having the same issue and decided to download the adobe software, and yes it does work.

Steps below

1) Download the software stated above

2) Open up "Itune"

3) Now create a folder that you would like all your books to be saved to. 

4) Click on the book you would like to read thats in your Itune book section and then drag it over to your folder

5) Double click the book that is now in your new folder the adobe software will open the book.  to change the pages you will see up, down arrows on the right side. 

Doesn't work with DRM books. Note thread comments.

Ok sorry for that not sure on DRM but I was able to open all my books and I have over 15

j70f99 wrote:

 

Ok sorry for that not sure on DRM but I was able to open all my books and I have over 15

The reason this thread (and many others like it) exists is that people cannot read best sellers and other major paid-for books from the iBookstore on their Mac or PC.  Almost all such books have DRM and there is no app which can be used to read them.  Books without DRM have never been a problem, as Adobe Digital Editions, Calibre, and various other apps have been available for years to read them.

The solution is to buy DRM books from Kindle, Nook, Kobo, or Googlebooks, which do have apps for OS X which let you read their books.

Thanks for trying.  You've put more effort into it than Apple has, and I appreciate that.

Almost two years since first post and we are still waiting for iBooks on the Mac OS X!

Okay, I have read all of the post for the past TWO years and this is what I glean from it.1) If you buy a book from the itunes store it is protected and can only be read using an ipad itouch or iphone. Correct?  2) book bought from Kindle and amazon and other sources can be read on  a regular non apple computer. correct?

So my uneducated question is this.

do you have to have Kindle or special program to read those books? I bought The Scarpetta Factor in itunes and can only read it on my phone. NO JOY there. I just want to download a book. click on it and read it. Im a slow learner so could someone please be specific and tell me how to do this. I will just chalk up the loss on itunes for that book and never ever buy books from itunes again until they resolve this issue. they are loosing my money becuase this is such a solvable issue and their disregard for me as a consumer is negligent on their part. yes it might say ios is required but really? seamless means it should work if i can download it, and paid for it. whatever, live and learn. their loss. so, someone tell me where to spend my money.... remember. "click, download,click, READ ! that is what i am looking for on my none apple computer. windows 7 Please and Thank you in advance.

Books from Apple can currently only be read in the iBooks app on an iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

Books from Amazon can be read on a Kindle ereader and on Kindle PC/mac apps - Kindle apps.

Most ebooks (especially recent/current books) tend to have digital rights management on them which tie them to the store's own apps/ereaders.

The only way anyone is ever going to be able to read iBooks from the Apple bookstore is if either one of two things happen:

1.  Apple make it possible (not likely IMHO as they want you purchase an ios device) or

2.  Some enterprising programmer writes an emulator so ios can be installed on a mac (similar to VMware for Windows)

End of story!