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IBook store -- Why no app for Android and Windows?

bookdoc

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I must say that, contrary to my initial expectations when I bought my iPad 2 two years ago, I find it far more useful as a business tool than I had ever expected, for reading, research, and E-mail. But Apple should have an iBook store app for Android and Windows gadgets if they are serious about selling books. Though I also have a Kindle and Nook, I read the books bought from both Amazon and B&N on my IPad, preferring the larger screen. But other people may prefer something else and why is Apple not receptive to this. I doubt that they would lose iPad sales since the iPad is, in my opinion, a more finished product (read the reviews on other handhelds).
 

iJamesH

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Why would they have an app for their competition?
 

Blue92

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Why would they have an app for their competition?

I'd even shorten that to just "Why"?

It's not as if the iTunes store has hundreds of books available only through iTunes or readable only using an iPad or an IOS application. Every book I've downloaded via iTunes is an EPUB.

It's a standard format for ebooks and I doubt any author or publishing house would do a deal and limit their sales only to the iTunes store.
 

Kaykaykay

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Why not: What is likelihood for great return on investment? With Amazon's huge beachhead, why would it be worthwhile? Check out recent news: Apple was already in court over alleged price-fixing in collusion with publishers. Maybe it's sorry it ever got into ebooks, lol.

What makes no sense to me is why people buy iBooks, which lock you into one platform, when ebooks are available via Amazon across many platforms.
 

AQ_OC

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Why not? Google has pretty much every app on all platforms, Amazon too.

Google doesn't sell their content on Apple devices....only their apps.

IMO, it is a bad idea to buy Google's books/music or Apple's...better to buy content from Amazon which works across device platforms. Kindle is everywhere...iBooks is not.
 

twerppoet

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Because Apple didn't get into the eBook business for the sake of eBooks sales. They did it to provide a quality eBook option to iPad owners that did not depend on a third party. Apples iStores are aimed at supporting key features of their products. The fact that they are profitable is good, and necessary, but not the driving force.

They don't care if Amazon or Barns and Noble succeed or fail. They just want to make sure that book readers will always have a good reason to buy iPads, regardless of what other companies do. Having the iBooks store also means other companies can't dictate terms to Apple about content and access. The same reason Apple did it's own Maps rather than rely on Google. Not to prevent Google's apps, but so they didn't have to do whatever Google wanted in order to have a native Maps app.

iBooks isn't even available on a Mac, though that is about to change with the newest OS X version due out this fall.
 
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bookdoc

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Apple certainly makes money with iTunes which I never expected to use but wound up buying much from and consider
wonderful. The reluctance to take more seriously the potential iBook market which, including the textbook market, can be huge,
puzzles me. And it's not even that it would take much money, just the hiring of a few people who understand the publishing industry.
 

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