'Harry Potter' gains e-book treatment, but no deal yet for Apple's iBookstore
The bestselling "Harry Potter" series is now available in e-book form from many of the top digital storefronts, with one glaring exception: Apple's iBookstore.
Author J.K. Rowling's "Pottermore" website launched its bookstore feature on Tuesday, making all seven "Harry Potter" titles available in e-book form. The digital titles are now available on e-bookstores from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google and Sony, but not Apple.
That's because the Rowling and "Pottermore" have not yet struck a deal with Apple, according to The Wall Street Journal. Though Apple device owners won't be able to buy the titles through the iBookstore, they can still access digital copies through Amazon's Kindle application and Barnes & Noble's Nook reader, both of which are available on the App Store.
Currently, a search for "Harry Potter" on the iBookstore returns a variety of supplemental titles, including sheet music from the feature films and unauthorized learning guides.
Rowling's "Pottermore" website remains in "beta" and is only available to a limited number of users. The site is scheduled to open to the general public in early April.
The site does offer e-books from the "Harry Potter" series in EPUB format. That means the digital files available for download can be saved into Apple's iBooks application, but the titles cannot be purchased from the iBookstore.
Both the iPhone and iPad are listed as compatible devices with the EPUB format on the "Pottermore" site. It notes that they must be running iOS 4.2 or newer.
But the site has forged partnerships with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony and Google to send purchases of "Harry Potter" e-books directly to a user's account, simplifying the process of making the titles available on various devices. Customers of "Pottermore" must link their account with the appropriate Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Reader, or Google Play profile.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
I never liked Harry Potter anyways. Totally overrated. Apple is better off without them.
Well that makes no sense. You don't like Harry Potter - which is OK, but how has that got anything to do with Apple, and how is Apple better off without Harry Potter?
You CAN buy the books from the website and read them in iBooks. It's not like they shut that out.
So they don't want to give 30% to Apple. That's their right. It doesn't mean they hate the ibooks store. Perhaps they really wanted to sell all of them right off their site but Amazon etc won't allow it much like if you use ibooks author you have to sell via Apple's store front.
Audiobooks seem a bit on the high end, though I'll admit I buy most of my audiobooks through Audible so may be biased. I also bought all the books on CD and ripped them, so not particularly interested.
Ah, just checked it out on Amazon.com. Even if you want to buy from Amazon, you're sent to Pottermore, buying from them, giving them your personal info, and then linking it to your kindle account so it gets automatically linked and downloadable there. Yeah, that's not going to fly with Apple.
What's the big deal.
You CAN buy the books from the website and read them in iBooks. It's not like they shut that out.
So they don't want to give 30% to Apple. That's their right. It doesn't mean they hate the ibooks store. Perhaps they really wanted to sell all of them right off their site but Amazon etc won't allow it much like if you use ibooks author you have to sell via Apple's store front.
They're probably giving 30% (or more) to Amazon, et al, so that's probably not the issue.
I would guess that it has to do with some detail in the contract and will eventually be worked out. Regardless, it's not that big a deal because you can read HP on your iPad, anyway.
Well that makes no sense. You don't like Harry Potter - which is OK, but how has that got anything to do with Apple, and how is Apple better off without Harry Potter?
Just ignore 'I'm a zzz'. He never has anything intelligent to say.
That's ok. iPad owners have access to some real magic
I never liked Harry Potter anyways. Totally overrated. Apple is better off without them.
I'll wait for the movies.
Hysterical! Except April fools not til Sunday.
Just ignore 'I'm a zzz'. He never has anything intelligent to say.
"Never" is too strong. For example, I often point out your numerous mistakes of fact.
Pottergate
...Dumbledoor dies.
Currently, a search for "Harry Potter" on the iBookstore returns a variety of supplemental titles, including sheet music from the feature films and unauthorized learning guides.
The site does offer e-books from the "Harry Potter" series in EPUB format. That means the digital files available for download can be saved into Apple's iBooks application, but the titles cannot be purchased from the iBookstore.
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Reading EPUB on an iPad is like watching reruns of black and white TV shows on a 70" LCD . An interactive version like the new textbooks would actually be interesting to see.
What's the big deal.
You CAN buy the books from the website and read them in iBooks. It's not like they shut that out.
So they don't want to give 30% to Apple. That's their right. It doesn't mean they hate the ibooks store. Perhaps they really wanted to sell all of them right off their site but Amazon etc won't allow it much like if you use ibooks author you have to sell via Apple's store front.
Actually you should see the author contracts for Amazon.com for Kindle books. There's a reason the books are only being sold from the Pottermore site.
All the ebook stores would take a chunk for selling the books. Aplle's pricing is not an exception at all.
I feel like this site is becoming a place for people to just get mad about anything that sort of appears to go against Apple.
That is this site's charm. You say it like it is a bad thing.
I feel like this site is becoming a place for people to just get mad about anything that sort of appears to go against Apple. Good grief. I love Apple, but come on. This is getting old.
Really, it's become more of a place for the haters to rant against Apple at every turn. Look at any post from the poster directly above me for examples.
As for the Harry Potter books, my kid tells me that ship sailed long ago. Yesterday's news.
The bestselling "Harry Potter" series is now available in e-book form from many of the top digital storefronts, with one glaring exception: Apple's iBookstore.
What is the deal? Anyways, iPad excels in everything except being an e-reader. As e-reader it totally sucks - heavy, big, unusable in sunlight. This is on the contrary to what Tim Cook said at the last keynote about iPad being a favorite device for reading books. I guess he is not good at lying and field-distorting as Steve used to be.
I guess bad day for news today...