Apple Books logo

Apple Books

Books

Apple Books, an e-book distribution service created by Apple Inc., officially launched on October 16, 2018, with its user interface debuting on November 1, 2018, alongside the iOS 12.1 update. In a series of expansions, Apple introduced audiobooks to the platform on February 19, 2019, and subsequently rebranded it from "iBooks" to "Apple Books" on March 27, 2019.

Key Features

Apple Books empowers users to purchase and download e-books from the iTunes Store, as well as access them offline via iCloud. Available in PDF and EPUB formats, it also boasts a reading tracker, enabling readers to monitor time spent and pages covered in a book.

Design Aspects

Aiming to emulate the experience of a physical bookstore, Apple Books’ design includes a "Library" tab for accessing owned or downloaded books and a "Store" tab for exploring and buying new titles. The "Reading Now" tab highlights currently read books, while the "Book Store" tab offers further exploration and purchasing options.

User Experience

The platform is praised for its sleek, intuitive design and the beneficial reading tracker. However, it faces criticism for its limited e-book selection on the iTunes Store and lack of EPUB format support, restricting users from reading EPUB e-books acquired elsewhere. Additionally, Apple Books lacks features for e-book library management. Despite these limitations, it enjoys popularity and is expected to grow further.

Bottom Line

Apple Books provides a user-friendly digital environment for reading e-books, integrating useful features like a reading tracker. Despite a smaller selection of titles and the absence of EPUB support, its interface and design continue to attract readers.

Pros

  • The design of the interface is clean and easy to use
  • The reading tracker feature is a useful tool for keeping track of one's reading progress
  • The platform offers a variety of books to choose from
  • The platform is available on a variety of devices
  • The platform allows for offline reading

Cons

  • The selection of e-books available for purchase on the iTunes Store is relatively limited
  • Apple Books does not support the EPUB format
  • Apple Books does not offer any features for organizing or managing one's e-book collection
  • The platform is not available on all devices
  • The platform does not offer a variety of features

Screenshots

To download the app, you will get links to the Official Website and/or official digital markets.