Prince McLean
AppAdvice.com says Apple has already listed more than 30,000 free books from Project Gutenberg into its new ebook store for the upcoming iPad (as pictured below). The Gutenberg library of free digital books is supported by volunteer efforts, which maintains a huge collection of literature in the public domain.
While Apple has already announced that the iPad's iBooks application would be compatible with the ePub format, this latest news shows that it will be even easier for users to access public domain books directly through the iBook Store. Apple is not preinstalling the iBooks app on the iPad, but it will be available for free from the App Store, allowing competing ereader apps such as Amazon's Kindle App for iPhone an equal footing.
The move to include Gutenberg's large library of public domain titles will not only help fill out Apple's new marketplace for books, but will also prevent the iPad's ebook library from being overrun with multiple versions of public domain books wrapped up in a trivial app package by third party developers hoping to take advantage of public domain content.
When the company initially launched the App Store for iPhone, the new market was deluged with book "apps," which contributed little real value and distracted attention away from more significant iPhone software titles. The iBook app for iPad is expected to eventually become available for the iPhone and iPod touch as well, although Apple has not yet announced any plans for a smaller version of the app.
In pushing ebook titles out of the general App Store and into its own iBooks or other third party apps, Apple seems to be attempting to contain problems related to monitoring and managing adult content. Last year, the company temporarily rejected at least two content reader apps for iPhone that included "obscene" content, including a Newspapers app that included topless pictures of women from the UK tabloid The Sun, as well as a conventional ebook reader app that included the title "Kama Sutra," an ancient text that includes graphic sexuality.
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
70 Comments
Smart not to preload iBooks and instead give it equal footing with Kindle and Nook bookstores. Heads off the feds, makes customers happy, broadens iPad's appeal, and somewhat nullifies Amazon and BN as competitors. At virtually no cost to Apple.
I should hope this means we will have full illustrations as well, as what we could expect from something like archive.org
This is great, not only a selection of books to buy from the modern selection we are used to but enough books worth reading to fill up your reading time, probably for the rest of your life. The best books in the world have already been written, and they are free.
Not that all those free books will stop be repurchasing a choice selection of Discworld books.
Smart. Very smart.
Awesome. This will definitely boost even greater iPad sales numbers right out of the gate.