Chapter 22. Shopping on iTunes and the iBookstore
Many people have audio CDs that they can store in iTunes on their computer and then transfer these music files to their iPad. It’s also easy to download music files from other online services such as Amazon.com and transfer them into iTunes.
However, one of the simplest ways to add new content to your iPad is through Apple’s online stores. If you want to buy music, movies, TV shows, or audiobooks, you can use the iTunes Store.
If you want to buy new ebooks, you can visit the iBookstore. With so many ways to get the latest movies, TV shows, hit songs, and best-selling books, you’ll never run out of ways to keep yourself entertained with your iPad.
Note
To purchase anything from one of Apple’s online stores, you’ll have to set up a free iTunes account.
In this chapter, you will learn how to shop online for new content for your iPad.
What You’ll Be Using
To browse and shop online, you need to use the following:
Shopping for Music, Movies, TV Shows, and Audiobooks
Shopping online on the iTunes Store is like getting lost in a huge shopping mall. With so many options available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. To help you navigate your way around iTunes, iTunes lets you choose separate Music, Movies, TV Show, and Audiobook categories. Within each category, you can further choose to view the latest featured products or the top sellers. For even more help locating what you want, you can choose different genres.
To see how you can browse and shop at the iTunes Store, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap iTunes. The iTunes screen appears.
Tap Music at the bottom of the iTunes screen. The iTunes screen displays different available songs.
Tap the Featured tab at the top of the iTunes screen, as shown in Figure 22-1.
Tap Movies at the bottom of the iTunes screen to see some of the currently available movies you can rent or buy.
Tap TV Shows at the bottom of the iTunes screen to see some of the currently available TV show episodes you can buy.
Tap Audiobooks at the bottom of the iTunes screen to see some of the currently available audiobooks you can buy.
Tap the Top Charts tab at the top of the iTunes screen. The iTunes screen lists the top sellers in your chosen category (music, movies, TV shows, or audiobooks), as shown in Figure 22-2.
Tap Music, Movies, or TV Shows at the bottom of the iTunes screen.
Tap the Genius tab at the top of the iTunes screen. Apple’s Genius examines the music, movies, or TV shows currently stored on your iPad and tries to suggest similar items that you might also enjoy, as shown in Figure 22-3.
Tap Genres in the upper-left corner of the screen. A menu appears, as shown in Figure 22-4.
Tap the Search field in the upper-right corner of the iTunes screen. A virtual keyboard appears.
Type the name of an artist. As you type, a list of possible options appears, as shown in Figure 22-5.
Tap a suggested option, or finish typing and tap the Search key on the virtual keyboard. The iTunes Store displays products that match your search criteria.
Shopping for iBooks
If you want to find the latest best sellers, you could rush to your nearest bookstore and carry around a handful of bulky books that weigh more than your iPad. A better alternative is to download the ebook version of those books directly on your iPad through the iBooks app.
Note
You must download and install the free iBooks app before you can browse the iBookstore. See Chapter 19 for instructions on installing it.
To browse the iBookstore, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap iBooks. The iBooks screen appears with all your currently stored books on a shelf, as shown in Figure 22-6. (If you were reading an ebook, the iBooks screen will show you the last page you read. To view the iBooks main screen, just tap the Library button in the upper-left corner of the screen.)
Tap Store at the upper-left corner of the screen. The iBooks screen flips around to reveal the iBookstore.
Tap Featured at the bottom of the iBookstore screen to see the latest ebooks available, as shown in Figure 22-7.
Tap NYTimes at the bottom of the screen to see the latest New York Times best sellers in the fiction and nonfiction categories.
Tap Top Charts at the bottom of the iBookstore screen to see the most popular free and paid ebooks.
Tap Browse at the bottom of the iBookstore screen to see a list of authors and their books available on the iBookstore, as shown in Figure 22-8.
Tap Purchases at the bottom of the iBookstore screen to see all the ebooks you’ve downloaded and purchased.
Tap Library in the upper-left corner of the screen to return to your bookshelf on the iBooks screen.
Additional Ideas for Shopping Online
Buying audio, video, and ebooks through one of Apple’s online stores represents the most convenient way to load new content on to your iPad. Although most people naturally seem to gravitate toward the latest releases, don’t overlook the huge library of older products that you might find interesting as well.
Browse through iTunes using the Genius feature, and iTunes can analyze your current music library to determine which songs by other artists you might be interested in hearing. By exploring similar but different artists who you may never have heard before, you can expand your audio and video library without wasting your money randomly guessing which artists you might like next.
For ebooks, just remember that for every latest best seller, there are probably dozens of similar books that have been written, and those older books are probably much less expensive than the latest best seller. Many classics are now in the public domain and are totally free.
Perhaps the most important tip to keep in mind is that before you purchase anything online, you might be able to find that same content somewhere else at a much lower price. Shopping online offers convenience and instant gratification, but shopping for alternatives can let you stretch your money.