Q: How Can I Read iBooks on my Laptop?

The odd and infuriating thing about Apple's reasoning is that I do have a desktop mac and an iPad (and a Mac Air laptop and an iPhone), and I buy lots of ebooks.  But I don't buy them through iBooks, because I may want to read them on the desktop or the laptop, and I cannot. 

How can potential sales of iPads to existing Apple desktop owners outweigh the loss of book sales to those who already own both devices; similarly, there are likely to be people who have an iPad and may want to buy a Mac desktop or laptop, but don't because the books they own would not be readable there. Etc.

Apple has always been the one to argue for cross-platform use of one's purchases. They don't limit one's music to the iPod even though sales of iPods may decline since some will carry just an iPhone (vs. a phone and iPod).

In my mind, the loss of good will toward Apple among loyal users who hate this conflict should be enough to bring a desktop reader to the Mac immediately. Confusing, even ugly.

I, too, own 3 MBPs 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, a MacPro, AppleTV1and2, Time Capsule. Mostly happy in Apple's "walled garden." But it is restrictions like these that drive me nuts. It is not enough to make me abandon Apple... but it does make me feel that Apple does not respect its customers. And eventually, a few inconveniences add up to the straws that breaks the camel's/customer's back.

Samsung and Sony are coming out with product ecosystems that are looking pretty good.

Well, I ended up getting the Kindle app on my desktop and 2 macbook airs.  I buy my books from Amazon because they work on the devices I use. 

Don't hold your breath waiting for Apple to address this, I did and couldn't hold it that long.

That's exactly how I'm going about the eBooks at the moment so I can read them on iPad, MacBook, iMac and work PC.  By the end of the day I am the customer who pays, so the vendor has to adapt to my preferences, not the other way around.  If and when Apple will come out with an iBook for Mac OS X, I'll see how it stacks up to Kindle or whatever I'll be using at that point.

Thanks, worked so far for me.

We started asking for this in 2010.

It was finally announced this week at the WWDC.

iBooks for the MacBook.

At last!

Thanks for posting this.

So for those who didn't know, iBooks comes to the Mac when iOS 7 comes out.

JohnInMke wrote:

 

So for those who didn't know, iBooks comes to the Mac when iOS 7 comes out.

Actaully, no. iBooks comes to the Mac whenever OS X Mavericks is released to the public.  iBooks for OS X has nothing to do with iOS.

D'oh. Absolutely right. OSX 10.9. Must remind myself to be more careful when posting early in the morning.

I was directed to this thread in search of a way to read ePub books on Windows 8 .. instead I got an hour full of reading through posts that were quite comical.  Thanks for the chuckle.

If you wait until September, Apple will be releasing OX X Mavericks, which will come with the iBooks app on the OS. This should be a replica of the iBooks App on iPad. There are third party applicaitons but sometimes the books don't translate exactly. If you wait another month, you will be able to get the iPad iBooks on your Mac.

mikewax1 wrote:

 

There are third party applicaitons

These are totally useless for reading paid books from the iBookstore with DRM, which is what most people want to do.

That's true, then just wait until September for ibooks on Mac

dear Apple i don't get it. i started to buy ibooks but stopped as soon as i realized i could not read them on any other hardward platform (PC). full stop. i was disappointed (can you tell)!

the pc world would not have bought into iphone (backups) or itunes (music or audio books) if everyone had to have an Apple computer system. obviously Apple is trying to corral the educational industry into using the ipad excusively. obviously Apple has a strategy to be losing so much money on ibooks everyday.  but i won't be holding my breath and therefore will not be spending a dime on ibooks again till they miss my money. : )) which will probably be too late.  which has led me to question the rest of the apple platform when i can have it ALL on Android with no rocks in the river to navigate around.  yes Apple we too want it all.  but unlike you we can have it all. : ))

in fact i am moving my phone service to Android at the end of the month. i have cancelled my service with my current provider after they tried raising my bill by $15.00 FIDO.ca (after 15 years) in a very competitive market place.  however i will keep my iphone 4 for wifi use, etc.

good luck.