mac and pc delivery??

Question

Level 2

390 points

mac and pc delivery??

I am a teacher and was going to use iBooks Author to create an interactive iBook for my students. Thought it would be a brilliant solution, but then I start seeing that iBooks can't be viewed on a PC, well if its free its ok, (which it will be) since its not protected, but others state that it can only be pdfs and that there will be no interactivity, etc, so not I have a dilemma in part because I am getting mixed signals.

What I want to do, is create an interactive iBook for my students. It will be free and designed to be delivered through the iTunes/iBook Store. It needs to be able to run on both macs and pcs, is that possible? Or will have I have to have pcs just get a pdf and lose the interactivity?

Is there a way to make it available just to my students or if its a free book on iTunes then everyone has access?

What do I need to know about delivery to pcs?

Thanks in advanced

Posted on Jun 15, 2015 8:10 AM

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Answer 1

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,542 points

Jun 16, 2015 2:44 AM in response to froghead2

To have your book run on a pc, you will have to create it in epub format. iBooks Author can't do that. The Apple app which can is Pages, but there are various others as well. How easily you can create the specific interactivity you want in epub format I don't know.

There is no way to read the .ibooks format produced by iBA on a PC, you would have to convert to pdf.

Apple really should have created an iBooks reader app for the PC by now -- you can ask for it via

http://www.apple.com/feedback

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Answer 2

froghead2 Author

Level 2

390 points

Jun 16, 2015 5:48 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Thank you and I did write Apple as you suggested as this is a HUGE oversight.

It means as a teacher I can't deploy an iBook to my class, and that just stinks!

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Answer 3

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,542 points

Jul 1, 2015 5:03 PM in response to froghead2

The new version of iBA released June 29 can now produce epub 3 format, which can be read on all platforms.

About ePubs created with iBooks Author - Apple Support

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Answer 4

froghead2 Author

Level 2

390 points

Jul 18, 2015 6:56 PM in response to Tom Gewecke

Thank you for the info.

I did update. Now the problem is I can't preview my work. It says I need an newer version of iBooks. Since there is only the OS update that I am behind on, I take it that iBooks does not have stand alone updates, but are update through the OS?

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Answer 5

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,542 points

Jul 19, 2015 2:45 AM in response to froghead2

froghead2 wrote:

I take it that iBooks does not have stand alone updates, but are update through the OS?

That is correct, at least in this case so far. To get the new iBooks you need to update the OS.

An alternative to Preview is to just export your book to .ibooks format and transfer that file to your device and open it with iBooks. That's more reliable than Preview in any case.

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Answer 6

froghead2 Author

Level 2

390 points

Jul 19, 2015 6:36 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Tom.

It appears one has to start creation as an ePub, there is no landscape option or any way to also fix the formatting?

Or am I missing something?

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Answer 7

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,542 points

Jul 19, 2015 7:03 AM in response to froghead2

froghead2 wrote:

It appears one has to start creation as an ePub, there is no landscape option or any way to also fix the formatting?

Sorry, I haven't tried using the epub templates provided by Apple and don't know what their limitations are or whether there are ways to manually modify them.

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Answer 8

froghead2 Author

Level 2

390 points

Jul 19, 2015 7:11 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Thanks.

So you know there are only two templates and only seem to appear to be portrait.

So the epub option appears to be extremely limited. More like a nod to the fact that epubs are the standard and they have to be supported in some fashion.

I wish I could understand why Apple isn't making iBooks available for pc's as that would greatly help the entire situation.

As a teacher I am having to jump through hoops to make this happen for a mixed classroom and am really beginning to wonder if the iBooks option is worth the effort. Limited delivery doesn't make up for the richness of the content if it can't be shared.

From what I have read pretty much 100% of the authors who have commented mentioned that their sales in iBooks is dwarfed by those in other bookstores.

Perhaps its just not mature enough for prime time, but Apple is missing out and might get too far behind the curve on this one.

Thanks,

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Answer 9

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,542 points

Jul 19, 2015 9:13 AM in response to froghead2

froghead2 wrote:

I wish I could understand why Apple isn't making iBooks available for pc's as that would greatly help the entire situation.

Yes, as marketing strategy this was a no brainer already 5 years ago when iBooks was first released. It took them 3 years even to make one for OS X!

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Answer 10

Jul 20, 2015 2:19 PM in response to Tom Gewecke

Sorry but if you are looking for a format for Macs and PCs then iBooks Author has always been the wrong choice. iBooks Author books are designed on the Mac for OS X and iOS, and has never supported Windows. The iBooks app, which is used to deliver the books, has never existed on Windows.

With iOS 8.4, iBooks Author created books can now be used on an iPhone opening up another large audience.

But I'm afraid expecting these books to be available on PC's is missing the point and aim of the app.

--

earlymyths.com

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Answer 11

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,542 points

Jul 20, 2015 2:40 PM in response to macuser569

macuser569 wrote:

The iBooks app, which is used to deliver the books, has never existed on Windows.

The point is that it is pretty hard to understand why Apple has let 5 years go by without fixing that, considering the vast expansion in the market for iBA and other iBookstore titles that this would enable. It's as if they had never produced iTunes for Windows and decided to only sell music to Mac users.....

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Answer 12

Jul 20, 2015 2:50 PM in response to Tom Gewecke

Can't see it happening Tom- the iTunes Store, and to a lesser extent iCloud, are exceptions to the normal rules.

iBooks Author is designed to create books for the iBooks Store- the iBooks Store is iOS and OS X only. I can't see Apple releasing iBooks Store app for Android, Windows, etc.

iTunes for Windows was to sell more iPods in the early 00's. But given that iBooks is on the iPad and iPhone, there is no incentive to release iBooks app on other platforms- it won't help to drive hardware sales. Apple see it as integral to iOS and recently OS X.

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Answer 13

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,542 points

Jul 20, 2015 3:56 PM in response to macuser569

macuser569 wrote:

there is no incentive to release iBooks app on other platforms- it won't help to drive hardware sales.

If I were running the iBookstore, I'd sure be interested in booking the 30% I would make on every sale to an android or windows device. And since every other ebook store does have an app for every platform including iOS and OS X, I'd be looking for a job with one of them.

I just think Apple is really dumb about this one...

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Answer 14

froghead2 Author

Level 2

390 points

Jul 20, 2015 6:18 PM in response to macuser569

Macsuer,

You have stated the obvious as we all know that iBook and iBooks Author is mac only.

That isn't even the main concern. I don't mind creating and delivering on my mac at all, but its about those that can access the books.

You make a point that makes no sense.

"With iOS 8.4, iBooks Author created books can now be used on an iPhone opening up another large audience.

But I'm afraid expecting these books to be available on PC's is missing the point and aim of the app."

If the point is to reach a larger audience it makes ALL the sense in the world to open an iBooks Store for the PC. But you state in the first sentence there its about reaching a larger audience, then state there is no reason to open it to PCs. Well opening it to PCs would open it to a larger audience.

No it doesn't drive hardware sales directly, but it makes your authors happier, it makes the purchaser of books happier, it exposes more people to the mac experience, which can indeed sell more hardware. Just like the halo effect that the iPod had, and it puts money in Apples pocket, (not that they need it) it puts money in the authors pockets who are using mac hardware. You also assume you want them to repurchase mac hardware.

So for me as a teacher I have no incentive to use the iBook store, iBooks Author really (the ePub format is anemic), or expose my students to the mac experience and will have to use other alternatives. So Apple loses all around there, and keeps a fairly small group of people happy.

As I have done a lot of looking around during this adventure, the authors as a whole are not selling on iBooks, but other platforms. If that trend continues it will give them no incentive to make books for iBooks. Apple has frozen itself out of the education market for me, and I have to assume many others as I have mixed platform students. To dismiss the education sector is short sighted. For what its worth I live and work in India, a growing market if there ever was one.

You contradict yourself with your argument and it makes no sense to keep the largest segment of the population out of being able to purchase iBA created books regardless of how you try to spin it.

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Answer 15

Jul 21, 2015 3:50 AM in response to froghead2

As a children's book author, I agree and would like to see the iBooks app developed for a wider audince, such as Android and Windows.

But as a long time observer of Apple, I don't see this ever happening.

The iBooks app and its store is an integral part of iOS and OS X, and the small dividend Apple would make on wider book sales is eclipsed by Apple's aim to grow market share for its devices.

Plus, if it was going to start developing iBooks app for other platforms, Android seems the obvious choice first, and then maybe Windows as a second choice.

Yes as authors it would be nice to see our books reaching a wider audience. But I don't believe this will ever happen on Windows or other non-Apple systems.

--

earlymyths.com

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