The one and only iBooks thread

pomor · #1 06-20-2010, 04:19 PM

Now that the iBooks app for iPhone and iPod Touch as well as the new 1.1 iBooks for iPad is just around the corner (June 21 worldwide), I thought I would open this thread to share expectations, impressions, opinions and comparisons.

I, for one, like the iBooks on iPad but I do keep a copy of Kindle around for those books that I bought on Amazon and those I couldn't find on the iBookstore.

My first question is will iBooks sync on all devices (like your last page read, notes, and highlighting) via Apple servers (like what Kindle does) or will it use iTunes and/or Wi Fi for that?

Also, will we be able to purchase extra dictionaries (perhaps for other languages like French and German if we want to read books in those languages and need a quick work translation)?

I think it would be wise for Apple to enable purchasing of dictionaries other than the pre-installed Oxford American (probably the best current American abridged dictionary that has also been on Mac OS X since 2005)

I am also finding the lack of the Helvetica font annoying on iBooks. It's my favorite font, and I have to use other fonts.

I have solved the issue of the lack of white on black text by assigning the 3-click option to the home button which changes the overall OS white-on-black font. It works great, but I would prefer an iBooks native background/text color switching, preferably via user-created themes.

I think initially, the 1.0 release of iBooks was fairly bare-bones compared to other available readers (except for the extra features like the page-turning animations), but the 1.1 should solidify it a bit better as a contender for the one and only reader to have. PDF support is awesome and should attract people.

I think iBooks 1.5 or 2.0 will be adding great new features that we might not have today. I just have a feeling it won't be until some time in 2011.

ColeDaddy · #2 06-20-2010, 05:14 PM

Can iBooks convert books in Stanza or eReader? One of the great things about Stanza was that it seamlessly converted eReader books (for which I originally purchased for the old Palm OS).

pomor · #3 06-20-2010, 05:42 PM

iBooks itself doesn't convert anything. However, the one and only tool you need on Mac OS is called Calibre (free download, it is actually a cross-platform java app).

It is so feature-rich that it can convert anything to anything.

I converted all my rtfs, txts, docs, and pdbs to epub (the iBooks standard) a while ago, and iBooks reads anything.

It is easier to convert with Calibre than with Stanza, I think. Calibre even has a few pre-defined themes (one of which is now the iPad preset, which is kind of like the optimized setting when converting to epub to read on the iPad).

Conversely, you can convert epub back to anything (provided it is not DRM-protected which is what most paid Kindle, iBooks, and eReader books are).

ColeDaddy · #4 06-20-2010, 06:15 PM

Thanks, man. By "cross-platform java app" do you mean I can use this on my PC? I don't have a Mac.

heffdog116 · #5 06-20-2010, 07:48 PM

The Gutenberg project has made the iBook application an unbelievable asset.

gekkota · #6 06-20-2010, 08:56 PM

I was a little disappointed at the lack of customization options in iBooks. Now that Stanza has been updated, it looks beautiful on the iPad. It also has a much larger selection of fonts, font sizes, and backgrounds than iBooks.

I like the iBooks bookshelf and the appearance of reading an actual book, but that's about it. Unless there is a big change in the upcoming update, I am going to continue to use Stanza as my e-reader.

LordVader · #7 06-20-2010, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gekkota

I was a little disappointed at the lack of customization options in iBooks. Now that Stanza has been updated, it looks beautiful on the iPad. It also has a much larger selection of fonts, font sizes, and backgrounds than iBooks.

I like the iBooks bookshelf and the appearance of reading an actual book, but that's about it. Unless there is a big change in the upcoming update, I am going to continue to use Stanza as my e-reader.

Well, according to Macrumors, there will be a pretty significant update later this month. http://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/07/...compatibility/