iBooks has 180 Million Downloads; What Does it Man

Today we learned that Apple has achieved 180 million ebook downloads. By most metrics, that is a very big achievement. However there is a lot of details Apple left out that I am not sure that we will ever find out.

The reason is because 180 million downloads can mean many things. It could mean 180 million books sold or one book was sold and downloaded 180 million times. Obviously, I think the truth is somewhere in between.

What's true is that I bought over 10 books and I think I've downloaded them at least thirty times.

Perhaps the truth is that it's somewhere in between. Even with 90 million books so that is quite an achievement. Can Apple really have sold 90 million books?

Regardless what's all this does mean is that a lot of iOS users are reading books on their devices. What it also means that e-books is a market that Apple should really really be serious about.

For a while, I had expected Apple to see the market to Amazon. I think Apple came to the game a little late realizing that Amazon is intending to create a platform with the Kindle.

And Amazon thinks that it has to dominate e-books, just let Apple has dominated the music market. And with kindle fire, Amazon hope to solidify hold on the books market.

The figure that Apple gave us today, 180 million downloads, is a shot across the now of Amazon. Apple one Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and anyone else to know that Apple is serious about the books market. I suspect that this will mean a lot of very important things in the coming year from Apple.

And perhaps this is why Amazon has been trying very hard to lock up authors and trying to beef up its publishing apparatus.

However, I don't think Apple can do much e-books market in the short-term. Amazon has a very big leap with the Kindle. What Apple can hope to achieve is trying to overtake Barnes & Noble and its Nook. If Apple can do that the next year or two, in the minds of users, Apple can be considered a heavy hitter.