# iBooks in Canada is Live!



## KMPhotos (Jun 17, 2008)

You can now buy books from the iBooks store. FINALLY!!!!!


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2010)

Cool. The search engine seems pretty swamped at the moment . Has their been any official announcement yet?


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## thadley (Jul 8, 2008)

Haha, yeah, can't get it to come up on my iPad, just sits loading. Selection seems pretty paltry but eh. It's a start!


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## Croptop (Apr 20, 2004)

The store is working fine for me here in Waterloo. The selection isn't the best and most of the titles I looked up I can find cheaper elsewhere but it's a start.


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## Izzy (Apr 14, 2008)

I think Apple is letting the publishers set the prices at whatever they want. Amazon was trying to get the most of the books to $9.99 for the Kindle store, sort of like iTunes with songs. Hopefully, with competition from the Kindle and Kobo stores, prices will come down somewhat. I prefer the iBook reader to the other two, so I would like to have all my books stored there, if possible.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

The prices do seem high, I was expecting books under $10. For a digital copy which can be reproduced infinitely with no new cost to the publisher, it seems very high to me. I wonder if they could do something like what they do when you buy a movie, get a free digital version as well. I would love to buy a book and get a digital download with it as well.

I just compared a price of "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" in digital format from iBooks to the paperback book from chapters. iBooks is $11.99 and Chapters.ca is $8.99. Are we paying more for the convenience of having a digital copy?


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## rei (May 6, 2005)

Richard Dawkins' "Greatest Show on Earth" is:

$20.99 (US? CAD?) on Apple iBooks Store
$9.99 (US? CAD?) on KoboBooks.com
$13.08 (US) on Amazon.com Kindle Store

...so...WTF?!


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## rei (May 6, 2005)

$26.39 hardcover on Chapters.ca
$15.19 paperback on Chapters.ca

$25.07 hardcover on Amazon.ca
$14.43 paperback on Amazon.ca


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## rei (May 6, 2005)

$14.99 US on the US iBooks store.

Making the Canadian pricing 1.5x, the same multiplier of printed costs for the past decade, is outrageous.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

if these prices dont drop I wont buy any books from iBook


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

What a weak selection too. Plus I can't imagine anyone reading books on an LCD/LED screen for any extended period of time anyway. 

FWIW, eBooks aren't cheap at Kobo either, but they aren't $20 either. Most books I've bought were about the $9.99 to $11.99 range. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was only $7.99 (not available on iBooks btw). At $20, just buy the physical book.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

dona83 said:


> What a weak selection too. Plus I can't imagine anyone reading books on an LCD/LED screen for any extended period of time anyway.
> 
> FWIW, eBooks aren't cheap at Kobo either, but they aren't $20 either. Most books I've bought were about the $9.99 to $11.99 range. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was only $7.99 (not available on iBooks btw). At $20, just buy the physical book.


Exactly. I can see books at a $9.99 price point, its also a number that seems similar with .99 songs, we all just love those 9's. I wont shell out more for a digital copy of a book I can read in less places, the screen is not ideal for outdoor use in very sunny open areas, and I much more cautious with my iPad if I took to a beach or something like that, where as with a book, a little sand is no problem.

Its a shame as I was really looking forward to iBooks and reasonably priced books for home reading convenience.


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## John Griffin (Jan 4, 2002)

Join the local branch of the Public Library and get books free of charge. You might have to wait for some of the more popular ones, but that is better than shelling out $10 - $20 per read. Instead, give the money to one of the literacy charities.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

John Griffin said:


> Join the local branch of the Public Library and get books free of charge. You might have to wait for some of the more popular ones, but that is better than shelling out $10 - $20 per read. Instead, give the money to one of the literacy charities.


Part of the reason I want an online (affordable) book store is the convenience of it. I have a pretty busy life and being able to preview a book while at home, and then if I decide I want to pursue and finish it I can buy right there and then. No hitting the road or waiting for a book to ship from an online store and get it a few days later. Call it lazy if you will, but the convenience is something I am looking forward to with all media. iTunes did a great job with music, no longer needing cd stores.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

I leave home at 5am and get home sometimes 5pm sometimes 7pm, in which case I'm either too tired to go to the library or it's already closed anyway. Plus I wreck physical books, unintentionally. They get smushed or ripped in my backpack or become subject to a packed lunch gone awry. My Kobo works way better for me as I tend to better protect my electronics. Plus the BC Library has eBooks that can be borrowed for free.


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## MikeyXX (Aug 2, 2008)

I'm not overly impressed with ebooks. I find real books are easier to read but less convenient to carry. Ebooks are more convenient to carry but less convenient to read. Not worth paying much more for, that's for sure. I too can't understand how something that essentially minimal to produce (ebook) should be MORE than physical print. I won't subcribe to it, but lots of others will.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

Keep it under $10 for a book and I will buy, but when they are more then hard copies, I just wont. No idea how they justify the higher costs.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2010)

wonderings said:


> Keep it under $10 for a book and I will buy, but when they are more then hard copies, I just wont. No idea how they justify the higher costs.


I'm in the same boat. I had high hopes for the iBooks store after seeing the pricing and selection on the US store but no longer. As usual they have less selection and have jacked up the prices considerably. $7.99 USD or $11.99 CDN. That math doesn't work for me.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

mguertin said:


> I'm in the same boat. I had high hopes for the iBooks store after seeing the pricing and selection on the US store but no longer. As usual they have less selection and have jacked up the prices considerably. $7.99 USD or $11.99 CDN. That math doesn't work for me.


Hopefully Apple or whoever sets the prices, will see that people are just not interested in ebooks at this price point. This was one of the things I was looking to most about the iPad, good thing everything else is even better then I thought it would be.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2010)

Thankfully the Kindle app for iPad has improved quite a bit. Their prices and selection are pretty good, have been buying most of my books from amazon as a result. Having the ability to switch from iPhone to iPad and keep track of what place I left off is essential for me and both Kindle and iBooks offer this option, so until iBooks canada store gets its prices in order they won't be getting my $$. I hope you're right that they will get inline with other pricing, but I'm not holding my breath.


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## EdmTrekker (Jul 8, 2010)

You guys are all MISSING the real issue with iBooks. But _first_ let me racap what has been said: that Canadian iBooks is more expensive than the US one. That is a fact. I have a US iTunes and CA iTunes. US prices are 20% on avg higher. Note though, unless you have a US credit card (and US itunes account) you can not order books from the US iBooks store. I have found that prices on Barnes and Noble and Amazon have a better price point in the US than US iBooks. Now the kicker: When you buy an iBook it works only on your iPad. You can not share it with anyone...or for that matter upload it to your own MacBook etc. ALL the other sellers US) even Amazon in Canada allow this AND you can buy it any number of ways and save it to iBooks to use the features some here like on iBooks. For those spending $$$ on e-books you will likely want the ability to store your e-books on an external hard drive )or a copy of it etc.). Personally, using Kindle and Stanza and a few others on line...iBooks is good but not exactly stellar. 

Side Note: Visiting the US? Buy some iTunes cards that are for USA only, open a US iTunes account redeem the US iTunes cards on the US iTunes site. These are currently good for apps, music with books to come.


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## iJayTee (Apr 20, 2010)

Re: iPad LCD display and books... Not an issue for me in any way shape or form. I am on my 15th or 16th novel on the iPad so far (Jim Butcher's Codex Alera at the moment.)

Re: purchasing e-books... iBooks is just one source and they need to be competitive with Amazon and Kobo + the umpteen independents out there who sell non-drm epubs. I have purchased 0 books from them but love iBooks as a reader.

As a matter of principle, I will not buy an e-book unless it's 1/2 the price of the currently available printed version--hard cover or paperback. The differences in production and distribution costs don't warrant any more than that.

Also, as a matter of principle, I will not purchase any ebook from anyone where the Canadian price is artificially inflated to duplicate the usual gouging we see when you compare US and CDN prices on the printed book's jacket. When I see a 50% markup I read that as a sign that says "please steal me." Not saying that I do... not saying that I don't


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