Whickwithy

Q: Are iBooks only available for Apple products?

I was in a discussion not long ago concerning why Amazon is more successful for selling books than iBooks.  I think I figured it out and I am really tempted to take my book off of iBooks.  It seems that iBooks are only available for Apple devices.  If this is true, then it's a waste of time for me.

Mac mini, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Mar 30, 2016 5:51 AM

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Q: Are iBooks only available for Apple products?

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  • by King_Penguin,Solvedanswer

    King_Penguin King_Penguin Mar 30, 2016 6:01 AM in response to Whickwithy
    Level 10 (133,636 points)
    iTunes
    Mar 30, 2016 6:01 AM in response to Whickwithy

    The iBooks app is only available for iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches and Mac computers, there isn't a PC version of iBooks

  • by Whickwithy,

    Whickwithy Whickwithy Mar 30, 2016 6:05 AM in response to King_Penguin
    Level 1 (68 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 30, 2016 6:05 AM in response to King_Penguin

    Thanks, KP.  I'm not sure if I am going to delete everything or just not promote the iBooks version.  Sometimes, Apple's approach just annoys me so greatly.

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 30, 2016 6:12 AM in response to Whickwithy
    Level 7 (26,134 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 30, 2016 6:12 AM in response to Whickwithy

    I have not ever really used iBooks. I use Kindle, and have it running on not only my Kindle devices but also all of my Apple products (including my Mac, which I was able to have long before iBooks was available for Mac).

     

    I find that books on Amazon are cheaper, and my take on this sort of app is that I'm going to go with the app and the company whose business is books. That would not be Apple....

     

    I also don't use Safari for the same reason.

     

    Apple has a lot of superior core apps, but in my opinion, iBooks and Safari do not count amongst them....

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by Tom Gewecke,

    Tom Gewecke Tom Gewecke Mar 30, 2016 6:18 AM in response to Whickwithy
    Level 9 (79,212 points)
    Mar 30, 2016 6:18 AM in response to Whickwithy

    Whickwithy wrote:

     

    I'm not sure if I am going to delete everything

     

    If your books are made with iBooks Author to take advantage of the special interactive features, iBooks is the only app that can read them, and I don't know whether equal features are available in any format used at Amazon.  But I assume this is not an issue for you.

  • by Whickwithy,

    Whickwithy Whickwithy Mar 30, 2016 6:52 AM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (68 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 30, 2016 6:52 AM in response to gail from maine

    Exactly, GB.  The captive market approach that Apple uses annoys me greatly.  I really wouldn't mind if it didn't tie my hands way too much and if the apps were superior.  While the computer has tremendous advantages, some of the apps, like safari, are crippled.

     

    The main reason I was hoping that iBooks would be a good alternative is that I don't like being tied to a single source for my book  Again, the captive market state when only selling through Amazon concerns me but I don't know any other really good alternative.  Google books has been broken for a long time and are not accepting new books.  I guess I should check again.

     

    How cool!  I live in Maine, also.  Scarborough.

     

    In case anyone is interested...

     

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019KVXEU2

  • by Whickwithy,

    Whickwithy Whickwithy Mar 30, 2016 6:53 AM in response to Tom Gewecke
    Level 1 (68 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 30, 2016 6:53 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

    No, Tom, I learned a long time ago not to use a proprietary tool to do anything of significance.  It's pure text, so Pages works fine for me.  While it is proprietary, I keep a copy in rtf, as well.  A bit kludgy, but what's a boy to do?

  • by Tom Gewecke,

    Tom Gewecke Tom Gewecke Mar 30, 2016 8:07 AM in response to Whickwithy
    Level 9 (79,212 points)
    Mar 30, 2016 8:07 AM in response to Whickwithy

    Whickwithy wrote:

     

    Pages works fine for me.  While it is proprietary, I keep a copy in rtf, as well.

     

    Good idea!   Too bad Apple has managed to ruin it by deleting the ability to either read or produce rtf from Pages 5/'13....

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 30, 2016 9:49 AM in response to Whickwithy
    Level 7 (26,134 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 30, 2016 9:49 AM in response to Whickwithy

    Very cool that you are a neighbor! I'm up in Winslow - across the Kennebec from Colby College where my husband teaches. We are transplants, but have been here for 30 years, so we are no longer seen as "aliens". We know we will never be actual "Main-ahs", but we love it here!

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by Whickwithy,

    Whickwithy Whickwithy Mar 30, 2016 9:58 AM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (68 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 30, 2016 9:58 AM in response to gail from maine

    Ha!  Funny.  I got here in 1985 from the deep south.  Yeah, I think they consider me local now.  Maybe not if I say 'y'all", which I do regularly.  I had a friend who was from Maine and went to Boston for a couple of weeks.  He swears that when he came back he was considered "from away" for years.

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 30, 2016 10:06 AM in response to Whickwithy
    Level 7 (26,134 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 30, 2016 10:06 AM in response to Whickwithy

    hahahahaha!!! Oh yeah.....the rules are myriad and complicated. You may be considered "local", but you are still "from away". You are only local to those you are local to. The rest of the Main-ahs know who you are.....and you are not one of them (sadly). If your parents got here any time after around 1650, then you are from away.

     

    So, to help offset the "y'all", you could start saying "ay-yuh" when agreeing with someone. The actual pronunciation of ay-yuh varies by region, so listen carefully to how those around you pronounce it or they will certainly think you are an interloper.

     

    And then there's the famous "they-ah", whenever anything is completed, or when you are comforting someone after bandaging up a sore finger.....

     

    GB

  • by Whickwithy,

    Whickwithy Whickwithy Mar 30, 2016 10:21 AM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (68 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 30, 2016 10:21 AM in response to gail from maine

    Yeah, always had a problem with "ay-yuh" as, at least downeast, it has to be vocalized on a intake of breath.  Hurts my throat.

     

    1650?  Hahaha!  Yeah, probably so.

     

    Oh!  There's a real simple rule, you know.  Only pronounce R's when they are not in the word.  Such as, "I pahked by cah in the pahking lot wheh I sawrrrrrr a boat!"

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 30, 2016 3:27 PM in response to Whickwithy
    Level 7 (26,134 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 30, 2016 3:27 PM in response to Whickwithy

    Hahahaha! I call that the "r" substitution: the "r" in cah went to the end of Auguster, and with your example, the "r" in pahked went to the end of sawr....

     

    Amazing. I'm from California, so aside from "hippie" talk, I think we have the "standard" accent. At least it sounds like the one they use on the news most of the time.....

     

    GB

  • by Whickwithy,

    Whickwithy Whickwithy Mar 31, 2016 3:53 AM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (68 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 31, 2016 3:53 AM in response to gail from maine

    I would have to think of San Francisco or Venice when you refer to hippie talk.  Y'all sound very similar, really.  I started downeast and just loved it.  It is so far away from civilization that it's hard to explain.  I guess the best description is that it seems out of sync by about 20 years, like stepping back in time.  But, then I returned to the Portland area and just never could figure out a good enough reason to leave.  Funny that.  It included job offers in silicon valley, but just felt comfortable here.

     

    I feel like the really standard accent is the midwest.  Mine is kinda confusing.  Born in the north and live quite a while in the south.  So, everyone from the south thinks I'm from the north and vice versa.