Apple Books, on the other hand, will be less of a focus for the company going forward, Gurman reports.
That could be because Apple Books is not seen as a vehicle for revenue growth based on its performance over the last decade.
I decided long ago to stick with Amazon and Kindle books for all of my e-book purchases. I’m glad I made that decision. It appears that Apple Books may not be a safe investment.
Full article here.
Ive got a few books in Apple Books but for the life of me I cannot do long term reading on a Bluelit screen. If Apple had made a multiplatform app, or Eink device I would be all in.
Yes, why be stuck in a single system? Kindle app is cross platforms, plus the Kindle device is generally a convenient way to read.
Speaking from the author point of view, it’s easy to publish to the Amazon platform and a PITA to publish to Apple’s. I looked into it once and said to myself “why bother?”
Yeah, well, one of the ‘advantages’ of being in an EU country about which Apple does not care and has never cared a single bit is that Apple Books was never even available here. The list still includes Apple TV+ (the only country in the EU not to have Apple TV+), AppleCare, cellular Watch, half the features in Maps, satellite communication, and support in the local language—none of which are available. Yet all the product prices at authorised resellers are 10 to 15 per cent higher than the EU average so it genuinely feels great paying more for features one cannot use.
As I recall the only book I purchased from Apple was the Isaacson Steve Jobs biography. Amazon started out as an online bookstore. IMO Apple Books always seemed to be a “me too” business.
I get almost all my books from my local libraries. I can read them on my iPhone, iPad, Kindle, or iMac. Saves me lots of money. I do buy some ebooks but always DRM free in ePub or PDF format.
I started off buying books in Apple Books, but several years ago, I switched to using the Kindle app and buying books on Amazon.com. I like the features of Kindle much better.
Oh, boy. I’ve got literally everything in Apple Books, and very little in Kindle (I like Apple’s presentation far better). Hoping it doesn’t go the way of the Dodo.
I with you @bowsertune … I have most everything in Apple books and little in Kindle. I, too, find Apple Books’ presentation far, far better, especailly highlighting. I also like that I can do unlimited text copying from books in Apple Books unlike the restricitve, limited copying from books in Kindle. So, I too hope it doesn’t go the way of the Dodo!
I think this has to do more with country/market size rather than EU. In Germany most stuff is available. Apple seems to usually go from US onwards to smaller markets. Germany tends to get stuff faster than Austria or Switzerland. Not sure why (especially for Austria).
On the topic: I have most books on my Kindle because there is no Apple Books e-ink device. If Apple were to make one, I would move over for new purchases. But that seems to be increasingly unlikely.
I stick to my library Libby now. Before coming to the UK, Apple Books was not available in my home country. I usually bought books from bookstores and if I needed to buy ebooks I would go to Google and Kindle.
Now I have an Apple option so if I need to pay I will consider it because paying is just a tap.
I think the writing was on the wall when Apple lost a court case quite a few years ago, which basically forbade agreements over price and exclusivity with publishers. Apple books went from being a relatively flagship part of the ecosystem, complete with at least the beginnings of tools to produce content for it, to being a relative backwater. My guess is that someone realised it did not fit into Apple’s very high margin model anymore.
Same for me.I pretty much stuck to Apple Books until I picked up a Kindle. If I don’t have my kindle with me, their app lives in all my other devices so I can pick up wherever I’ve left off. So convenient.
+1 for Yomu. It’s my favorite.
To the bigger picture, I just wish it were easier to purchase DRM-free EPUBs because once I purchase a book, it should be mine to save, read, and archive where I choose.
If you want to get me really fired up, ask me to tell you about my 4-volume History of English Speaking People that is trapped in the Barnes & Noble Nook universe.
Actually, I don’t use a Kindle device. I use my iPad. I have no interest in an Apple e-ink device. I know those are faddish in the Apple community right now, but I prefer my iPad. 
One of the most significant advantages of using the Kindle app vs. Apple Books is that highlights sync very easily with Readwise using Kindle. For Apple, you have to go through a process with more friction, and it differs whether you’re syncing from your Mac or a mobile device.
Yomu is good for (DRM free) epubs. It would be perfect if one could highlight and annotate PDFs as well as epubs.
With the exception of a few authors like Cory Doctorow DRM is part of the bargain when we buy an e-book. At one time I used to “back up” DRM free copies of all my kindle books until one day when I asked myself why? AFAIK all my books are still available for download in my Amazon account and even if they weren’t, it is rare that I ever read the same book twice.
So, would my many purchased Apple ebooks (probably with DRM) be readable on Yomu? Also, would my highlights & notes on those books be readable?
It’s too bad. Amazon needs more competition.