iBooks app meets App Store, produces US-only iBookstore offspring

Get ready to welcome some amazing wood grain effects into your lives, future iPad owners, for the iBooks app has just landed at the App Store. Proudly proclaimed as being "designed exclusively for the iPad," this app gives you direct access to the iBookstore, which will offer free samples of books ahead of purchase and a brand new way for you to channel money into Cupertino pockets. Built-in search, highlighting and bookmarking features are augmented by text-to-speech functionality and ePub format support. Funnily enough, iBooks will only support DRM-free ePub files sourced from outside the iBookstore, but no mention is made as to whether its own wares will be similarly unimpeded. Speaking of restrictions, the whole operation is still limited to the United States, leaving the Stephen Frys of this world sighing wistfully from across the pond.

[Thanks, Brian]

[Atkins Posted Apr 2nd 2010 9:03AM]

@Wesscoast Man, I really don't get your points. So what if the Kindle is the market leader? As you said it'll get owned by the iPad, and it is pretty easy to understand why - the iPad can do much more for nearly the same price.

"What did you think the iPad was for? Playing Scrabble?"
What's your point here? And then this "luddite" stuff? You are confusing me, I wasn't joking when I said my english isn't that good (nevermind that I can write some). The iPad is for my entertainment and some of my photography. And basically to replace my MBP. Why they don't make, for example, the letters from the actual page morph into the letters of the next one? Why should it emulate a book?

[Hidd3nFury Posted Apr 2nd 2010 6:39AM]

I can't understand the logic of it being US only. I get that they need to sort out the rights to sell the content in other countries but why not make the reader part available just without the store for those of us who already have pretty large epub collections?

[bobthedino Posted Apr 2nd 2010 7:04AM]

Am pretty sure Stephen Fry has a U.S. iTunes account, so I doubt he'll be doing much sighing... unless he still regrets only having one hour to spend with Mr Jobs. (When he bought the original U.S. iPhone on AT&T he used it roaming in the U.K. - a tad expensive.)

[hrguerra Posted Apr 2nd 2010 7:34AM]

@bobthedino Yeah, making an US iTunes acct is easy enough. And iTunes cards are available for a couple of bucks more than the regular price in several places.

[Sonicjet Posted Apr 2nd 2010 8:22AM]

It's a good thing I subscribed to Engaget,not gizmodo...gizmodo has been putting out hundreds of articles on the stupid ipad...it's beyond insane.
I'll stick to my Asus G50vt Laptop and droid eris....both have flash too.

[DoctarPeppar Posted Apr 2nd 2010 9:53AM]

Another App got released in the app store! Better write another article!!!
It's a fart noise app btw. A real worthwhile investment.

[Kaz Pinkerton Posted Apr 2nd 2010 5:09PM]

Unless this app can come in translucent green, its really misnamed.

How has no one pointed this out yet?

[Qeana Posted May 25th 2010 11:05AM]

http://iiiConverter.com is a free online tool that allows you to convert various types of e-books, audio files and short video clips to the native media formats of Apple products: iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. Output formats are: epub for e-books, m4a for audio and m4v for video.