iPhone OS 4.0: iBooks for iPhone

While we don't have a lot of detail on this tidbit from today's Apple event, we do know for sure that iBooks, the ebook reader software now available on the iPad platform, will be coming to the iPhone platform with iPhone OS 4.0 this summer. There was also a hint, but no definitive statement from Steve Jobs, that iBooks will also be available for Mac OS X.

Of course, having your iBooks library on all of those different devices might make life confusing, but according to The Jobs, there will be wireless syncing of your books between platforms. Let's say you're reading a book on your iPad, and you're going to a restaurant so you decide to just pick up your iPhone and head out. When you get to the restaurant, you fire up the iPhone and bring up iBooks, and it's on the same page that you were reading on the iPad.

This is currently the way that Amazon's Kindle platform works, syncing books between a number of devices. I currently have Kindle Reader on my iPhone 3GS, iPad, and two Macs, and it is refreshing to be able to switch between devices and always have the current book and page available.

As with iBooks for iPad, a free illustrated copy of Winnie the Pooh will be provided with each copy of iBooks on the iPhone.

View Tags

Categories

iPhone

While we don't have a lot of detail on this tidbit from today's Apple event, we do know for sure that iBooks, the ebook reader software now...

Add a Comment

Sign in »

11 Comments

Filter by:

jeemy

eher, well kinda, this will be good news for iphone owners. iBook is my favourite apps.
Thanx!
well, I love iphone and gathered many iphone apps, here I'd like to sharing some best free iPhone 3G apps & iPhone 3GS apps picked from iTunes store, it's ipad day I know, but we can enjoy with iphone too. get the "Free iPhone 3G Apps & Free iPhone 3GS Apps": http://www.ifunia.com/iphone-column/free-iphone-apps.html

April 14 2010 at 3:42 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

accidentalangel

Will the wireless syncing require a MobileMe subscription?

April 08 2010 at 3:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to accidentalangel's comment

BigB

Ooh thats a good question, I wouldnt be suprised if it was connected to mobile me

April 08 2010 at 4:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Fubar

All of this is well and good. Great news yada yada yada...
There is still one lingering question:
What is the delivery date for the the iPad 3G model? I mean come on already...just let us know when to expect it. I don't think that is too much to ask for!

April 08 2010 at 2:46 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to Fubar's comment

imnastybutler

Sounds like you want some new apple hardware. You could always go over to another manufacture web site and order a similar piece of hardware that does the same thing. Oh... wait a minute....

April 08 2010 at 2:49 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Fubar

@imnastybutler What the hell are you talking about? I don't want "some new apple hardware". I want to know on what date the iPad 3G model will be shipped/delivered.

Get a clue

April 08 2010 at 3:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Ryan

Its peculiar that this is in a firmware update. I would assume that they are going to release it as a free app on the store in the coming weeks or at the same time as the update.

April 08 2010 at 2:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Ryan's comment

Rob E.

Agreed. And, as a 1st gen Touch user, it's disappointing. Unlike all of the other features mentioned, I can see no hardware reason for making iBooks a firmware update rather than simply an available application. I can do the same thing with the Kindle application, but I was looking forward to using iBooks as my source of non-drm'ed epub books. The Whispernet-type syncing would have been great. But now, assuming Stanza still has no plans to upgrade their app for the iPad, I probably won't even want to run the same application on both devices.

But then I guess that's the point. I'll be in the market for a new iPod Touch before too long.

April 08 2010 at 3:15 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Dylan

I'll be interested to show how the bookshelf is presented on the iPhone, since the screen isn't nearly big enough to be displayed as it is on the iPad.

April 08 2010 at 2:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Dylan's comment

Greenie

Three shelves with three books each. (They showed an image at the keynote)

April 08 2010 at 2:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

iBoss

Is only the sdk released today for devs or the 4.0 beta OS too?

April 08 2010 at 2:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply