I just purchased an ipad and am a little confused about stores for ebooks.

I know you can buy ebooks through the apple store, but notice there is also a kindle app available for the ipad.

Aer there any difference between the way purchased ebooks are viewed on an ipad if downloaded on the kindle app vs ibooks from the apple store.

Simply stated ...is one store better than the other, or are the file formats similar when viewed on the ipad.

Thanks for your help!

From my perspecitve after doing some research, both are usefull. But the Kindle App on the iPad doesn't always allow you to view your purchase on the iPad even though you can on a Kindle reader. Basically some of Kindle's partners don't allow the certain books or mags to be viewed on iPad. You have to read the fine print on the Kindle website to know which items work and which don't. So at present I try to only buy from Apple since that will work no matter what.

Personally I use both the ibooks and the kindle apps for reading. They are very slightly different in the features they have, but are both intuitive to use. By using both you have access to two bookstores- the ibooks store and the ebooks supplied by Amazon for the Kindle, which greatly increases your book choice. There are apps with free books too, but I don't have much experience of those. It's really not a question of either/or...have both, and enjoy!

Originally Posted by provlima

I just purchased an ipad and am a little confused about stores for ebooks.

I know you can buy ebooks through the apple store, but notice there is also a kindle app available for the ipad.

Aer there any difference between the way purchased ebooks are viewed on an ipad if downloaded on the kindle app vs ibooks from the apple store.

Simply stated ...is one store better than the other, or are the file formats similar when viewed on the ipad.

Thanks for your help!

As a general rule, if you buy a book from Apple, that book can only be read with the iBooks app. The same goes for the Kindle app ... only books bought from Amazon can be read on the Kindle app. This is because of Digital Rights Management (DRM), which is coding put into the ebooks by the publisher to prevent copying and/or piracy.

Since you can't mix the ebooks, most people go with either one store so they only have to use one app (keeping their collection in "one place") or they just decide to go with the place that sells the e-book for less. As there are a lot of e-reading apps out there, it's relatively easy to buy from any store selling the cheapest book - then it's an easy matter of downloading the [usually] free e-reader app.

So, IMNSHO, one store is really not better than the other (for me, books are about text and all seem to view just fine, if not exceptional, on the iPad). I usually go with the best price.

I hope this clarifies. If I've managed to muddy up the water, or missed answering your question, let me know. Else, hope I helped.

Marilyn

I use them both-- have both apps, in a folder labeled Library.

I only use Kindle for books. I can view Kindle book on my Android Phone, on my iPad, on my PC and surprisingly, even on my Kindle

You may want to take this into consideration if you are not fully committed to the Apple ecosystem, because if you buy your stuff on iBooks, it'll always be tied to iDevices unless someone breaks the DRM (AFAIK, no one has ....someone correct me if I'm mistaken and you can actually get your iBooks out of iBooks).

The apps themselves are similar enough I don't see any advantages of one app over another. Bookstores are a little different, so you may find some stuff in iBooks not available on Kindle and vice- versa.

Given the choice, I always always always go with the option that doesn't tie me into one technology and will go with the most versatile every time (as mentioned, I can switch from Android to iPhone and back again and maybe someday to a Windows phone and my Kindle books will stay with me always and I won't have to repurchase them. I can read on my iPad, then switch to my Android phone and not miss a beat).

I also buy books from Audible.com that sync on my apple devices through the iTunes and appear in the music icon.

I have books from both. Amazon usually has a better selection, but it's best to shop around. It is like music, price and availability.

I buy from Amazon/Kindle because I want to maintain access to books I've paid for even if I decide to switch to hardware on another platform later. Barnes & Noble also allows access across platforms, but I think it more likely that Amazon will stay in business than B&N.

You can buy the Kindle e-books from an iPad, but not from the Kindle app (like you can on Android). You have to do it through the Safari browser. There is a specific iPad Kindle website: http://amazon.com/iPadKindleStore. This site is the same format as the Kindle store on the Android Kindle app.