Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 10
Curling Up with a Good iBook
In This Chapter
Getting the skinny on e-books
Opening up to iBooks
Reading books
Shopping for iBooks
Reading electronic periodicals
Don't be surprised if you have to answer this question from an inquisitive child someday: “Is it true,
Grandpa, that people once read books on paper?”
That time may still be a ways off, but it somehow doesn't seem far-fetched anymore. Apple is among
the tech companies that are major proponents in the electronic books revolution.
Don't get us wrong; we love physical books as much as anyone, and are in no way urging their im-
minent demise. But we also recognize the real-world benefits behind Apple's digital publishing efforts
— and those by companies like Amazon (which manufactures what is, for now, the market-leading
Kindle electronic reader). As you discover in this chapter, the Kindle plays a role on the iPad mini as
well.
For its part, the iPad mini makes a terrific electronic reader, with an ideal form factor, color and
dazzling special effects, including pages that turn like a real book.
We open the page on this chapter to see how to find and purchase books for your iPad mini, and how
to read them after they land on your virtual bookshelf. But first we look at why you might want to
read books and periodicals on your iPad mini.
Why E-Books?
We've run into plenty of skeptics who ask, “What's so wrong with the paper books that folks have
only been reading for centuries that we now have to go digital?” The short answer is that nothing is
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