Apple Takes On Amazon With iBooks, iPad's New eBook App
January 27, 2010
When rumors of an Apple tablet started to hit the web, the first thing that came to most people's minds was that it would be a Kindle killer. Well, it's certainly too early to assume that, being that the device won't be shipping for another two months, but it will at least be able to compete with the Kindle thanks to a new native eBook app called iBooks.
iBooks looks strikingly similar to the well-known iPhone eBook app Classics. It gives you access to tons of different books ranging from classics to bestseller from some of the biggest publishers, such as Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette. iBooks uses the standard ePub format, so hopefully it will be cross-platform with other online stores.
When you purchase a book, it will be placed and displayed on your personal bookshelf. To read a book, simply tap it and it will open up. You are then able to tap to change pages or swipe, and you can choose different fonts and text sizes to suit your needs.
New books are said to cost somewhere between $4.99 and $14.99.