Apple reveals iBook Store and app for the iPad

Put this down as something else rumored that's come to fruition today. Apple's just announced iBooks, an e-reader app and bookstore (called iBookstore) for the iPad, using the ePub format. We're seeing prices around $12.99 to $14.99 so far... looks pretty slick! We're sure Jeff Bezos and Co. are none too pleased to see this one, but we'll have to see for ourselves what reading's like on a non-E Ink screen. There's a gallery after the break.

Be sure to hit up our hands-on right here!

Apple reveals iBooks Store and app for the iPad

[vaggelisz Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:59PM]

@Swagger
You are kidding, right

[Sansagara Posted Jan 28th 2010 7:51AM]

@Swagger Yes, u Gotta be kidding!!!!

[manekineko2 Posted Jan 27th 2010 1:58PM]

I thought nobody reads anymore, Stevie J.

[shotta Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:09PM]

@manekineko2: Only you.

[spass Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:11PM]

@manekineko2 -that was last year. today, everyone is into it, for no reason.

[aksnoopy Posted Jan 28th 2010 7:34PM]

should come standard with epub.. seems like a stupid pay to get more money

[Tweak589 Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:00PM]

This device is really called the iPaid

[shotta Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:04PM]

@Tweak589: REALLY! and it is a BIG! disappointment. The HP Slate looks better than this thing.

[EpsilonNot Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:00PM]

I think I'll stick with my Kindle...

[spass Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:05PM]

@EpsilonNot
Frankly, after today's announcement, this is an invitation to get the kindle.

[CL Posted Jan 27th 2010 3:47PM]

@spass I am sticking with my Kindle as well.

No e-ink = NOT a reader!

[Anatidae Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:11PM]

@EpsilonNot iPad + eBooks = iStrain.

Come on, does your Kindle come with iStrain? It is going to be all the rage.

[smp Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:00PM]

Funny, I didn't see McGraw-Hill listed on the slide with the partners...

[supitsmike Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:01PM]

Shut up Steve J. I just want to read Harry Potter on SOME kind of E-Reader.

And yeah, I want to pay for it.

Don't hate me :(

[Jordan Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:01PM]

Didn't we just learn that non e-ink displays burn your retinas in no time with e-books...I could be mistaken, but is this an e-ink display?

[dez Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:15PM]

@Jordan

with Apple's new "Apple made it so it must be right" technology, e-ink will be phased out in favor of retina-burning technologies for e-book readers. Sorry kindle, you had a good run.

[bebop Posted Jan 27th 2010 7:37PM]

@Jordan

Our retinas are being burned whenever we look at a computer screen? When reading Engadget ... oh noes!!!!!!!!

[johnpombrio Posted Jan 29th 2010 5:50PM]

@dez
I can read on e-ink for hours at a time My record was 7 1/2 hours cover to cover on a Clancy book). On the computer, couple hours and my eyes are shot. LCD is not e-ink in any way, shape, or form. Yeah, you can read on the thing but...

[kgod0wnz Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:01PM]

I haven't seen a mention about a video camera or video calls/chat on this iPad yet.

[derX Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:02PM]

HOLY SHIT. APPLE JUST RE-CREATED THE BOOK.

AND WORDS.

HOLY DAMN! I'M HARNESSING TEH POWER ALREADY!!!!!!

But, in all seriousness, I'm pleasantly surprised they paid homage to the Kindle and didn't put it down - instead saying they're 'building on its shoulders."

[hdawggy Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:02PM]

Wow the interface looks really really bad....

[Tuan X Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:11PM]

@hdawggy no it really doesn't.. what looks so "bad" about it? it looks VERY simple & easy to use.

[jdm28690 Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:02PM]

you gotta pay to download a book too it's not fair.

[xconan Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:56PM]

@(Unverified)
at least Apple supports Sony's epub but is it DRM locked like the early iTunes?

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:08PM]

@xconan

ePub is used by Sony readers, but not invented by Sony. ePub is essentially zipped up HTML, and an open format. So plenty of scope for pictures and stuff. Many DRM systems can be used with it. And commercial mainstream books will sadly be DRM encumbered.

It would be good if Apple used the same DRM as Sony and others, which is made by Adobe, and used by a whole slew of readers, but that would reduce the need for books to be bought from the iTunes store. So don't hold your breath.

[kcmurphy88 Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:20PM]

@(Unverified)
I thought ePub was so that there would be a common format and people wouldn't be locked into proprietary systems. Having proprietary DRM defeats the whole thing.

[StewieGriffin Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:03PM]

All of a sudden the kindle looks like a device that was made in the 90s.

[Prince David Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:03PM]

13 to 15 dollars? Just buy the hardcover version of the book from Amazon!

[UnsilentMajority Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:04PM]

Right. For a "reader" this is a non-starter. Those of us who voluntarily burn our eyes out writing code all day, I am not sure we would want to continue doing so reading a book on this thing.

[sdpeas Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:04PM]

Any info on iBook coming to the iPhone??

[Alan Smithee Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:05PM]

Again, Steve-O, reading on non e-ink displays sucks.

[Muddy Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:05PM]

Can Apple not see past the iSomething naming convention? It's naming for morons.

[derX Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:06PM]

@Muddy

MacBook? Anywho, it's really good for branding. If it's not broken, why fix it?

[Chaosdivine Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:21PM]

@derX

Intel thought along those same lines once...
Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium IV, Pentium M, Pentium D, Pentium T, I am lost now...

Oh, I know, lets try something else, Core Duo.

Nah, people will get confused, lets try this again shall we? i3, i5, i7...and so on and so on...

[derX Posted Jan 27th 2010 6:51PM]

@Chaosdivine

I am not at all familiar with the Intel line, but I'd say there are some principal things to consider (and possibly are differences). Apple iSomething convention makes it pretty clear what the product is, e.g., iPhone, and other products have such - to rather appropriately use an Engadget-coined term - a mindshare, that people know what the product is, e.g., iPod (although the MacBook/ MacBook Pro distinction is less clear). But they also refresh their products and market so that previous iterations are obsolete and, in most cases, are no longer available for purchase, e.g., original iPhone and previous generation iPods.

[bminata Posted Jan 27th 2010 8:09PM]

@Chaosdivine

All of those are CPUs. Different models but still CPUs. Now Apple gadgets on the other hand, are totally different things.

iWell, iM gonna close my iMouth now :P

[Chaosdivine Posted Jan 27th 2010 10:07PM]

@bminata

Why YES they are Intel CPU's. I thought the Intel nod would have given that away...I was only making a point about marketing and "if it aint broke, don't fix it". Anyhow moving on...

I AM definitely getting sick of Apple's "i" tag though. "i" this, "i" that. BORING! I quite liked the animal references however. I could "get what you're putting down" when Tiger or Snow Leopard was mentioned. I mean can you imagine if Apple OS's were named "Godzilla", "Terminator" or maybe even give a nod to the Apple faithful - "Saviour"? You might even get me to hand in my fanboy card and cross the line...just saying.

[Chaosdivine Posted Jan 27th 2010 10:16PM]

@derX

I hear ya, good points offered by the way...well almost, as in today's case: iPad, uh that's not very clear cut what you're referring to. I read a few posts on here (other Engadget threads) by women who's first thought was it was a reference to their monthly friend (fem hygiene products). I must admit, I (being a guy last time I checked) thought that name was pretty weak myself.

Anyhow, I think their marketing department let them down today in the name game. Just saying...

Otherwise, good points.

[Menno Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:06PM]

This looks VERY similar (the book display) to the Aldiko Ebook reader for Android. You can also display the book in a variety of fonts too.

[Tuan X Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:06PM]

You guys are such D*cks LOL ... It really isn't bad. The iPad looks pretty damn good to me. It looks extremely consumer friendly, though it will be dumb expensive. iBooks look decent as well.

[atomandroid Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:07PM]

FAIL! I think most of us who read Engadget regulary (any blogs really) ought to know that reading for longer periods of time on almost any kind of backlit display sucks. Future Mirasol / other color e-ink on the Kindle / other eReader FTW.

[tux2005 Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:09PM]

At least by using ePub any new publishers who sell books through the iBooks store will be able to submit elsewhere, hopefully this just increases the ebook ecosystem. I'd rather have an e-ink screen for ebooks.

[eKalb Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:33PM]

iBook looks a lot like Delicious Library for Mac. Did they buy it from them or something?

[herki Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:54PM]

@eKalb I don't think so. I was wondering the same thing.

[patches66 Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:11PM]

it looks exactly like it. funny that delicious library was, coincidentally, barred from the iphone for "api violations."

[Scape3d Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:44PM]

Here is the make or break of this for me:

Can you import your own PDFs? I have downloaded a couple books from the internet (legally, of course) and I want to know if I'll be able to import those to the iPad, using say, Caliber. If so, I'm getting this for my wife. If not, I'm getting her a Nook or Kindle.

[gboris Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:44PM]

Did Jobs really say "You can carry literally thousands of books around"? For songs this is nice, but books? Just shows how hard it is for Apple to change its way of thinking when moving into new areas.

[Javindo Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:46PM]

iBookstore is a very original name, Apple seem to be full of new and innovative ideas these days.

[xconan Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:57PM]

@Javindo
lol, a bit sarcastic there.

[andy582 Posted Jan 27th 2010 2:49PM]

I'd rather have an iPad than a netbook, definitely - but I don't want a netbook..

could they release a stripped-down iBook with only magazine/newspaper app and e-book functionality? i'd jump at one of those.

does dimming/greying the LCD screen reduce readability issues at all?