Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 09:55 am

'Harry Potter' gains e-book treatment, but no deal yet for Apple's iBookstore

By Katie Marsal

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.