Apple iBooks V3.1.1 released

[Josieb1]

Not everyone wants bells and whistles with their reading. I use the Kindle app quite happily on iPad and an Android tablet, if I read epubs (which I don't) I would definitely use iBooks on my iPad.

I do use it for PDFs, it's adequate and displays the PDF exactly as I need to see it.

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Not everyone wants bells and whistles with their reading.

Certainly....like I said people are welcome to simple...it's their choice.

However there is a big difference between "bells and whistles" and displaying properly. A simple UI that displayed properly would be much better than what they have now. {"display properly" means following the css formatting as created by the author/pubisher and conforms to the ePub specification}

iBooks does not display properly - although acceptably for those who don't know how a book is *supposed* to look - without extensive work-arounds. Take a well crafted epub that displays nicely on a sony or nook etc. and side load it into ibooks and compare the two side by side. Then take a non-DRMed iBooks file and try and display it on a sony or nook...and again compare the two.

The same file - using the same format (ePub) should display properly on any device. The fact that it doesn't is a whole other can of worms that has been talked about extensively in other threads and not really the point of my comment.

My point, as I said in my original post, was that: "Even with this latest update I find iBooks (app) to be woefully lacking in many areas. Those areas overshadow the few good things it does."

[Mivo]

What was the problem with the dictionary? I use iBooks' (English) dictionary extensively, and it's more detailed than the one that comes with the Kobo e-readers. Marvin uses the same one, I believe.

What would be an example of a free epub file that iBooks displays poorly? Not questioning the statement, just curious what the visual differences are (between Marvin, iBooks, Kobo) so that I have a better idea. My standards are probably pretty low.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Certainly....like I said people are welcome to simple...it's their choice.

However there is a big difference between "bells and whistles" and displaying properly. A simple UI that displayed properly would be much better than what they have now. {"display properly" means following the css formatting as created by the author/pubisher and conforms to the ePub specification}

iBooks does not display properly - although acceptably for those who don't know how a book is *supposed* to look - without extensive work-arounds."

Those of us who don't know how a book is supposed to display 'properly' are more than happy with the display we get in whatever is our preferred reading apps. Unless an ebook is compared side by side in different apps its doubtful the reader knows any better.

iBooks no doubt wants a default look across all the books, just like Kindle does. If I did read ePub iBooks is very nice, far better in overall look and design to any other app I've seen, and that includes Marvin, which I download, tried and deleted. I don't need or want anything more than to read a book comfortably in a pleasing display.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Sure, some people certainly prefer simple...no worries with that, they are welcome to their choice. But when comparing capabilities of ebook readers....ibooks is to Marvin as:



is to

You missed the point, it's not about preferring simple, it's about using an app for purpose - in this case it's reading and iBooks/Kindle - book on tablet, open app, select book and read, can change font sizes, background to page etc with direct selections... and read... this is the primary capability of an ebook reader... Marvin is great but rather like using a supercomputer to balance your bank account when all you want is a straightforward read... still, as you say, each to their own...

[Turtle91]

@elcreative: Unfortunately, I did not miss the point, but perhaps my attempt at humorously portraying my point went wide of the mark.

The benefit of a well programmed supercomputer (Marvin) is that it does do the simple things very well...upload book, tap, read (displayed correctly)...but it also has the other options that medium to advanced users would enjoy. Use of those advanced features is not obligatory.

In any case...there is a certain bliss in not knowing (or caring) what the limits of your circumstance are. I do know a lot of the limits/shortcomings of iBooks. I choose not to deal with those limits and shortcomings even though it does do SOME things rather nicely. I wish you well!

@Mivo: There are several DRM free epubs available in the mobileread library that you can load onto iBooks. However, finding a DRM-free epub created specifically for iBooks may be a little more difficult to find. I'm not allowed to discuss how to remove DRM from an iBook... There is also a link here in the forum to a "test epub" that you can use for several platforms...sorry I don't have it off the top of my head, but you can search for it. I think it was in the ePub forum. That test epub is a collection of common css (book formatting) techniques that shows how well (or not) a particular device displays the formatting. Unfortunately you need to have a little background understanding of what the css SHOULD look like in the first place to determine the performance of the device... If you are new to css then I would recommend opening the epub in Sigil and comparing it's preview frame with what you see on the device. Warning: Sigil does not display perfectly either but it is pretty good.


Cheers!


[edit] I found the test epub link here:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/EPub_Reader_Test

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

@elcreative: Unfortunately, I did not miss the point, but perhaps my attempt at humorously portraying my point went wide of the mark.

The benefit of a well programmed supercomputer (Marvin) is that it does do the simple things very well...upload book, tap, read (displayed correctly)...but it also has the other options that medium to advanced users would enjoy. Use of those advanced features is not obligatory.

In any case...there is a certain bliss in not knowing (or caring) what the limits of your circumstance are. I do know a lot of the limits/shortcomings of iBooks. I choose not to deal with those limits and shortcomings even though it does do SOME things rather nicely. I wish you well!

@Mivo: There are several DRM free epubs available in the mobileread library that you can load onto iBooks. However, finding a DRM-free epub created specifically for iBooks may be a little more difficult to find. I'm not allowed to discuss how to remove DRM from an iBook... There is also a link here in the forum to a "test epub" that you can use for several platforms...sorry I don't have it off the top of my head, but you can search for it. I think it was in the ePub forum. That test epub is a collection of common css (book formatting) techniques that shows how well (or not) a particular device displays the formatting. Unfortunately you need to have a little background understanding of what the css SHOULD look like in the first place to determine the performance of the device... If you are new to css then I would recommend opening the epub in Sigil and comparing it's preview frame with what you see on the device. Warning: Sigil does not display perfectly either but it is pretty good.


Cheers!


[edit] I found the test epub link here:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/EPub_Reader_Test

You know what assume means I hope... I actually have a tiny idea about how books display...
I'm now semi-retired from being a graphics designer, typesetter, small publisher and latterly running a genre specialist bookshop - all of which lead me to the joys of KISS which is the point I was trying to make - I've yet to find an ePub which doesn't let me read it comfortably in iBooks and equally I've yet to find any ePub that I can't sideload into iBooks without any problems... the same applies to Marvin of course but, after trying it, it just sits around unused because it offered nothing I wasn't happily doing in iBook...

[kyteflyer]

As always, its horses for courses and I get seriously ticked off at the implied "you have no idea what you're talking about" from some individuals (not you, elcreative).

Marvin is excellent, no doubt about that, I like it and am looking forward to the iPHone version. At the same time, I use a number of different readers and I have no issues with any of them, really, because *my* needs do NOT involve taking notes, changing backgrounds (god, who would seriously want a crumpled paper background... but apparently some do... just not me) accessing dictionaries. I want to read a book... end of. And I will tend to use the easiest way of doing that. Currently, that is actually still Stanza. I never used any of its advanced features, because I didnt need them. Once the appearance and layout was sorted, and themes for night and day, I had no reason to change anything. In iBooks I have a particular font I like, and i prefer the "night mode" to the others. In Marvin, I've gone black on white. All that said... I still do most of my reading on my iPhone, and Stanza and Duokan are what I use.

Did I mention I am not pedantic, so if the book I read isnt *exactly* as the publisher or author wanted, but I can still enjoy reading it... why the hell should I give a rats about whether its exactly right? geez.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

As always, its horses for courses and I get seriously ticked off at the implied "you have no idea what you're talking about" from some individuals (not you, elcreative).

Marvin is excellent, no doubt about that, I like it and am looking forward to the iPHone version. At the same time, I use a number of different readers and I have no issues with any of them, really, because *my* needs do NOT involve taking notes, changing backgrounds (god, who would seriously want a crumpled paper background... but apparently some do... just not me) accessing dictionaries. I want to read a book... end of. And I will tend to use the easiest way of doing that. Currently, that is actually still Stanza. I never used any of its advanced features, because I didnt need them. Once the appearance and layout was sorted, and themes for night and day, I had no reason to change anything. In iBooks I have a particular font I like, and i prefer the "night mode" to the others. In Marvin, I've gone black on white. All that said... I still do most of my reading on my iPhone, and Stanza and Duokan are what I use.

Did I mention I am not pedantic, so if the book I read isnt *exactly* as the publisher or author wanted, but I can still enjoy reading it... why the hell should I give a rats about whether its exactly right? geez.

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by elcreative

You know what assume means I hope... I actually have a tiny idea about how books display...
I'm now semi-retired from being a graphics designer, typesetter, small publisher and latterly running a genre specialist bookshop - all of which lead me to the joys of KISS which is the point I was trying to make - I've yet to find an ePub which doesn't let me read it comfortably in iBooks and equally I've yet to find any ePub that I can't sideload into iBooks without any problems... the same applies to Marvin of course but, after trying it, it just sits around unused because it offered nothing I wasn't happily doing in iBook...

I'm getting a certain adversarial vibe here... certainly not what I intended...I think you may have mistaken my meaning as aimed at your knowledge level...it was not. If I didn't word it properly and you took offense, my apologies. My comment was meant to convey that not knowing, or not caring, that something is wrong, brings with it a certain peace....a lack of stress. Since I do know that something is wrong, and I do care, it drives me nuts... Therefore I choose not to use iBooks because it makes things a lot less stressful for me.

I too am very familiar with KISS. My background in programming, engineering, and flying leads me to want things done in the simplest, most efficient manner possible that gets the job done properly. If a process is very simple, yet gets it done wrong, then it is broken and needs to be reworked. A complex program that performs many functions can still conform to the KISS principle by being very efficient in it's coding and providing a very clean user interface. KISS does not require the program to be lacking in functionality.

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

As always, its horses for courses and I get seriously ticked off at the implied "you have no idea what you're talking about" from some individuals (not you, elcreative).

I hope you aren't meaning me, kyteflyer??? You should now me better than that - that's not how I roll...


I wish anyone who chooses to use iBooks the best of reading pleasure!