Review of iBooks in OS X Mavericks

One of the key novovvedny OS X Mavericks is iBooks. Dear reader from Apple, well known to us for iOS - iOS 4 it was the trump card with its release. Three years later, iBooks has finally made it to OS X, though its appearance and surprised many users. Is he so much needed in the desktop OS? After all, we have so persistently transplanted on the iPad, assuring that each device must be a certain task. Some truth in this. But we all know that Apple simply does not do anything and if iBooks included in the OS X - means it is still necessary. Let's try to figure out whether this is so, on the desktop vzlyanuv iBooks closer.

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first look

How to start theatre any application? That's right, with the icons! Icon iBooks made in the spirit iOS 7, with a minimum of parts and volume. Flat, deliberately simplified, but it looks great at the dock next to the icons of the App Store and iTunes. More and more system icons OS X redraw in this style in the future maybe they will vygyadet so.

Main window

After starting the iBooks meets us rather austere interface - you are no wood panels, cozy bookstore shelves and hanging ribbons bookmarks. This solution is not entirely clear, because in the iOS-version of the interface is still "skevomorfichesky" and contains an imitation of wood, leather and paper textures. Perhaps the mobile version of iBooks will soon receive the update and get rid of the "remnants of the past"?

Despite its minimalism, it has the same functionality interface iBooks on OS X, as well as his "younger brother". No new features I have not noticed. The layout of the controls is similar to iOS-version. All of the buttons in the main window brought to the top panel, the remaining space is set aside for the display cover your books. By the way, do not worry if you do not find the usual titles of books, this default is disabled. Enable it can in the menu "View" - "Show the title and author of"

Sorting

If you have collected a library of impressive dimensions, you find the book among many others will not be easy. For such cases, the application provides various sorting options. In addition to displaying all of your books, it is possible to organize your library in collections, authors and categories. Or you can display all the books as a simple list, this option will be most informative, here we have the following information available:

• header;
• author;
• category;
• collection;
• mark reading;
• Date Book;
• you have a copy in iCloud;

Well, with the help of available tools choose an interesting book and start reading.

reading View

When you open the top panel of the book, which contains the controls hidden, so as not to distract you from reading. The reading process itself is quite comfortable and intuitive control: page not zadumavayas swipe to flip through, the text size is governed by the usual shortcuts ⌘ + / ⌘-. Pages have lost their "paper" - there is no reversal and they are not turned over. In the lower part of the book displays the page number and the number of pages remaining in the chapter.

toolbar

When the cursor is over the top of the window pane appears with controls. Here everything is familiar by the iOS-version:

• reset button to the library;
• table of contents;
• Notes panel;
• Setting the font;
• Search for the book;
• adding bookmarks;

Passes through each point there is no need, all have long known the purpose of each button. Instead, I voiced several nuances puzzling.
For example a table of contents menu different from the notes - contents is designed as a drop-down list, while the notes will open in a separate sidebar.

Button to switch reading mode (one page / two / scrolling) is now available. Rather display in single-page or double-page mode is present, but it can not specify - in depending on the window size appropriate mode will be switched automatically. But scrolling disappeared altogether, though would come in handy when reading large diagonal. When switching to full-screen mode automatically iBooks includes a two-mode.

settings

Application settings such as scarce as the interface design. On the "General" you can set up transfers, equalization and synchronization of bookmarks on all your devices. Tab "Store" already contains a check mark (!) - "Download new purchases automatically." The last tab "Parental Control" housed two checkboxes: "Turn off the iBooks Store" and "Block book with deviant content."

iBooks Store

As before, the store does not possess an assortment of books available, mostly only foreign authors here. This point is not entirely clear to me, because if Apple was able to negotiate the rights holders of films and music - why not do it with domestic publishers? Naturally, the movies, TV shows and music are more popular and this can make greater among users, but what about the satisfaction of intellectual needs? And while this issue is resolved, we can only read free works of foreign classics.

book Transfer

There is another point that should be mentioned. Now all your books from the iTunes moved to the iBooks app. It is not quite poyatny step that would complicate rather synchronization with vashimmi devaysa than simplify. Previously, all the digital content, which is poured into the iOS-device through the iTunes, it is and stored. Now there were only iTunes audiobook, read the rest moved to the iBooks app. And how to be with Windows users - I do not understand, because there is no desktop application iBooks. In addition, earlier in the iTunes could add covers for their books, correct author and the title - now this functionality is missing.

results

Summarizing, we can say that the update came very ambiguous. Yes, now you can read my books even on a Mac, but if this is the case we need it? From my own experience I will answer that such a thought crossed my mind as soon as I got my Mac. I was very surprised when I found the native reader in the Mac App Store, but a few days later forgot about it and read only on the iPad and iPhone safely.
Nevertheless, in spite of the half-empty iBooks Store, incomprehensible situation with the move of books from iTunes, iBooks appearance in OS Mavericks my liking. We can assume it is another step towards the convergence of mobile and desktop operating system from Apple.

But this is only my opinion. Does it coincide with yours? I will be glad to hear your thoughts in the comments!