Comments on: Three iPad Questions

By: Bodie Quirk

Bodie Quirk — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:23:27 +0000

Terry,

We can add ePub files to the iPad!! Woo Hoo! What would you recommend some best practices for building a digital library? Should I use Calibre to convert pdf’s to ePub? What would be a good app for the PDF’s that wouldn’t go so well on ePub (like manuals for things)?

Love your thoughts!

Thanks

By: terrywhite

terrywhite — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:30:54 +0000

Flash IS a cool thing.

By: John Shearer

John Shearer — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:10:35 +0000

Fantastic info Terry..Could you explain to me why “Flash” is not a cool thing?

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:29:26 +0000

I am another very dissatisfied ATT user, the IPhone is great for aps, music, everything BUT phone calls and data. I will NEVER EVER buy another Apple device that is reliant upon ATT, and neither WiFi hotspots or using a MIFI card from another provider is acceptable. If Apple does not wake up, and realise that their user base is becoming very dissatisfied, they will lose sales…

By: Laurie

Laurie — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:16:29 +0000

Just saw this post on Mashable, “Scribd Makes Online Documents E-Reader and Smartphone-Friendly” http://tinyurl.com/yzpgz52 Maybe this will be the way we get self-published documents into our iPad.

By: James Katt

James Katt — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:12:23 +0000

Yes, you can put your own ePubs into the iPad. Just use Stanza.
iBook probably will also allow you to do that – just drop it into iTunes.

By: slf

slf — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:55:52 +0000

ePUB is an open standard. Given how important books are to iPAD offer I would not be surprised to Apple commit resources to improving it’s functionality and them publish them openly as they have done with webkit and some other standards. Every improvement will make iPAD more compelling.

By: Jocca

Jocca — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:38:33 +0000

The iPad does not require you to have a contract with AT&T. Apple just happened to have hammered a very good deal with AT&T to offer a pay as you go 3G service, at a reasonable price. It is also in talk with international carrier to provide the same kind of service for the iPad. This piece of news is electrifying, given that data access for us who love to travel is so expensive. Being able to get reasonable internet access abroad on such a device is absolutely priceless. You can also go to another provider for your 3G access, but you will not be able to get the kind of pricing Apple has wrangled from AT&T. The iPad will offer flexible access as opposed to the fixed contract iPhone. I am extremely excited at this prospect and I simply can’t wait for the iPad 3G to hit the street.

By: Charles Jenkins

Charles Jenkins — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:29:38 +0000

Terry, time will tell, but I suspect you are wrong about Apple not allowing you to load your own unprotected EPUB books. Just as they put controls on the music files they sell through iTunes, but let you rip and use your own MP3′s, I suspect the protection on EPUBs will be there to prevent you from giving away content purchased on iTunes, not to prevent you from using other content that to which you have full rights.

By: Christoph

Christoph — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:28:29 +0000

I second the need for MS Exchange – this is crucial. Apple shouldn´t step back on this. Especially considering some of the more business driven ideas for the iPad.

Regarding ePub, I think we see an emerging, but still very low key standard here. eBooks will further develop with a bigger market size (regarding layout and design, interactive content etc.)

By: terrywhite

terrywhite — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:20:11 +0000

Darryl, you’re absolutely right and thanks for the reminder. The WiFi/3G iPad will come UNLOCKED and even if you do activate it with AT&T there is no contract. However, from what I’ve read the only other US GSM based 3G Carrier which is TMobile uses a frequency that isn’t compatible with it. So unless we see some changes with the carriers, you may be kinda stuck with AT&T service for built-in 3G data whether you like it or not. Again, we’ll have to see who steps up with the support and plans outside of AT&T once it ships.

By: Darryl Wilburn

Darryl Wilburn — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:56:06 +0000

I keep seeing comments that the iPad is tethered to AT&T but it’s not. It’s an unlocked device with a sim card. The only announced data plan is through AT&T but that’s not exclusive and Apple said so during the introduction.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:54:26 +0000

“if you want to get it [an app] onto the iPhone, iPod touch and now iPad legitimately, you have to do so via the App Store.”

You can distribute apps that you’ve developed directly to iPhones and iPod Touches. It’s a mildly cumbersome process (requires the unique identifier from each iDevice you’re sending to) and has some limits (you can distribute a given app to a maximum of 100 iDevices I believe).

This system was set up so that developers could test their apps in limited release before submitting to the App Store, but it can be used to distribute your app to a group of friends.

Also, there is a method to distribute your app to up to 500 (I believe) iDevices within a company. I’m not familiar with this but it’s there and it skips the App Store as well.

So possibly there will be similar ways to distribute (on a limited basis) your Great American Novel without going through the iBook Store.

By: Ken

Ken — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:59:07 +0000

Terry,

I am moving into the epub thing….thanks for keeping a low end tech guy savvy. I think I will hold of on the first gen of IPad, when the swirl around Apple quells.

Question, can I use indesign to make a (epub type thing) publication to post on line and embed in my photo website and have it flip pages like a book? If so, do I need some kind of “plugin” to do this?

Thanks

Ken in KY

By: Holly S.

Holly S. — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:40:53 +0000

I’m very curious to see how the epub issue plays out. I love my Kindle, and I would love to be able to use the iPad to read textbooks and other books with precise layouts and illustrations. There’s a need there, and I’m hoping the iPad will fill it. I’m not sure that epub can do that, though. But who knows? I guess we’ll see soon enough.