Wonderful look at Apple’s iOS 12 rewrite of Books from MacStories’ Ryan Christoffel.
A personal note here: I have long purchased my books from Amazon’s Kindle Store, but this read, combined with my short-lived, unsatisfying dive into the Kindle Unlimited program has made me reconsider this habit.
One thing I look forward to, and not mentioned in the article, is the ability to share Apple’s Books with my family using iCloud Family Sharing. As a family, we often share books and we are already on this plan. [Amazon has something similar called Households, but it it is limited to two adults, so your kids will age out over time.] The family plan is a real boon for us. Something to consider.
One note on sharing from Ryan:
One thing Goodreads offers that Apple Books does not is a social component. An Apple Music-style social sharing feature would be a nice fit for Books, but there’s nothing of the sort here.
I love the idea here. I am constantly looking for new read recommendations, especially from friends who share my taste in books. And I see “reading the same book at the same time” as a very social activity, something rife with potential that rarely gets any treatment in the tech universe.
Amazon has Family Sharing too where you can share your books, audiobooks and other digital media with anyone in your family without giving them access to your account. https://www.amazon.com/myh/households
Good point, Tim. I added that to my post, but it does limit you to two adults, an issue for people as their kids become adults.
— Dave
You can share books with kids in the Amazon ecosystem via Freetime Unlimited. It even works with Kindle ereaders.
I hadn’t looked at Apple Books in a while. Looking at top sellers and free books list on the Canadian store I was amazed that the majority of them are romance novels. ?