iBooks by Apple Inc.

(Photo courtesy of iBooks web page.)

I love to read. There is something special about books, newspapers, and magazines that simply can’t be compared to watching television or roaming the Internet. I also love to read for free, and am thoroughly excited about the iBooks application (“app”) I discovered on the iTunes website.

As an assignment for public relations class, we were instructed to find an app that is both free and useful. After carefully searching through a laundry list of games, screen savers, and weight management calculators, I found iBooks.

This app has a number of great features, which are as follows:

• It provides users with a complimentary copy of the illustrated Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (which I would actually read again if I owned a copy).
• It allows users to read free samples of any book on the iBookstore roster before purchasing the full text.
• It’s easy for users to personalize. Screen brightness, font sizes, backgrounds, text layouts, typography, bookmarks and individual notes are just some of the features that iBooks has included for users to play with.
• Favourite passages can be highlighted, and notes can be added to the margins. This is especially appealing to me, because I write all over my books.
• PDF documents can be added to iBooks. This is especially helpful for students who want to study notes or a textbook on the bus or in a restaurant, but don’t want to open their cumbersome binders.
• It also has the ability to speak the words on any given page. While this may not appeal to my age group specifically, I’m sure my grandma would love having a story read aloud to her.

So what does this mean to PR?

We are living in a technology-driven society, and new inventions such as the iPad, iPhone, and BlackBerry are making it increasingly easy for consumers to access whatever they want whenever they want. Checking a bank account balance can be done in seconds (using the TD Bank app), and a destination can be found with the touch of a few buttons (with the Google Maps app). Technology is only going to advance in the future, so it’s very important for everyone involved in the communications industry to understand exactly how to use it to their benefit.

Public relations professionals are responsible for the big picture. They must follow the trends, know what is in, and know how to reach audiences across many different channels. Not everyone in the world currently use apps. Not everyone currently owns an iPod, iPhone, or BlackBerry. But, the technological climate is shifting in that direction, and PR professionals must be prepared to utilize apps – and any other form of technology, for that matter – to get their message out.

Why does this app work?

iBooks is free to download, which will appeal to anyone who is interested in reading on their handheld device. It also offers a host of complimentary add-ons, which will only increase its allure. This app isn’t for everyone - because not all people are bookworms like me – but those who download it enjoy books enough to want to have the freedom to read whenever, wherever, and however they please.

Users do have to purchase some books, but there are many available for free. As I searched through the website, I discovered that the Guinness Book of World Records is free to download. So is Alice in Wonderland. Maybe not the books you were thinking of reading, but this is a clever marketing strategy. Offer something for free, and many people will go back to purchase more.

Well... I’m sold.

I plan to download the iBooks app immediately after finishing this post. My plan is to get as many free books as possible, and then I will start looking at the ones that are for purchase.
Maybe I’ll have my book available for purchase on iBooks one day. It’s a clever marketing strategy, and I bet writers who are featured on the site have increased success and publicity.