In February 2011, Apple hinted that they would no longer be allowing sales to take place within an app downloaded from the iTunes store. The changes took place on July 23, 2011, so if you normally bought an ebook, newspaper, or audiobook from within an app, you now have to go through an ebook store to download the book. You can still access the digital bookstores from within your iPhone or iPad browser. Even newspapers now have to be downloaded from a separate site, unless you subscribe to them and they are automatically updated in your app.
Apple Makes It Slightly Less Convenient to Buy Digital Media, Unless ...
If you are buying iBooks from the iTunes store, it is still as easy as ever to buy an ebook or audiobook and download it to your iBooks library or your iPod app. If you used Audible, the app seamlessly you to your Audible library online to buy the book, so it doesn't feel much different than buying books through iTunes.
Buying Kindle and Nook ebooks is a noticeably different experience than buying ebooks, especially the Nook Kids app. When I was reading ebooks at an elementary school for Read Across America Day in March, the kids were able to choose the book they wanted me to read and we downloaded it in one click on my iPad, as I was already signed in to Barnes and Noble. Now the app's purchase option has disappeared.
How to Buy eBooks from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Kobo from the Apps
All of the apps still have a shop button, so you will be brought to the store's website to search and buy a book instead of being able to directly buy an ebook. When you return to the app, the books, audiobooks, and periodicals will still automatically load in your digital book app. One advantage of buying ebooks though web browsers is that you are able to enter oupon codes for ebooks during checkout, and Barnes and Noble and Kobo are good about offering discounts and coupons.
If you have a Borders ebook account, you should have already made the ebook library transition from Borders to Kobo for your ebook collection, and you should have downloaded the Kobo Reading Life app. If you are still using the Border's app, learn how to migrate your Borders ebooks to Kobo before your ebooks dissolve with the Border's bankruptcy situation.
Although buying ebooks from ebook and audiobook apps now require a few more steps, the advantages of using those services over iTunes outweigh the hassle because you can read Kobo and Google eBookstore ebooks on any ereader, your Nook and Kindle books on your devices and on the web, and the ebooks will be available if you switch to an Android smart phone or tablet in the future.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
