Calling iPad owners

[zlim]

I want to share some epub books with a former coworker while we are locked in our homes. Since I haven't used Apple hardware since 1989, my knowledge is non-existent. I have a few questions.

1. Can epub files be read on an iPad and if so, what is a good app to do this? It has to be simple because my friend says she has never loaded a book on her iPad.

2. If a better format is available, can I convert from epub to that format on a computer? Keeping in mind, I am not about to install iTunes on any of our Windows 7 computers.

3. Can iPads download from googledrive? Can you "unzip" a download on an iPad?

4. Can you attach an iPad to a PC and copy files from the PC to the iPad?

 

Sorry if the questions seem silly, I have zero experience with a iPad.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

> EPUB is the default eBook format for iPad.

 

The above quote is from this site: https://pdf.wondershare.com/pdf-knowledge/ebook-formats-for-ipad.html

 

As far as questions 3 and 4 go... I dunno the answers to those.

[abarbarian]

19 hours ago, zlim said:

I want to share some epub books with a former coworker while we are locked in our homes. Since I haven't used Apple hardware since 1989, my knowledge is non-existent. I have a few questions.

1. Can epub files be read on an iPad and if so, what is a good app to do this? It has to be simple because my friend says she has never loaded a book on her iPad.

2. If a better format is available, can I convert from epub to that format on a computer? Keeping in mind, I am not about to install iTunes on any of our Windows 7 computers.

3. Can iPads download from googledrive? Can you "unzip" a download on an iPad?

4. Can you attach an iPad to a PC and copy files from the PC to the iPad?

 

Sorry if the questions seem silly, I have zero experience with a iPad.

 

https://www.lifewire.com/what-ebook-formats-work-ipad-1999819

 

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq.html#how-do-i-use-calibre-with-my-ipad-iphone-ipod-touch

 

I know that Calibre works on the iPad as my niece has one and uses it.

[zlim]

Thanks guys. I'll be going to and reading the links you posted.

 

I have used Calibre to convert books for Kindles so I know how Calibre works.

 

Her husband has a laptop (he teaches CAD at one of the Tech School in our County) so since I have the epub files on gdrive, he can download and unzip them for her. Then it is simply a case of getting them from his laptop to her iPad.

If that fails, she'll have to read the books on his laptop, I guess.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since I don't want to force her husband to load software on his laptop, I went searching. Possibly the easiest way is to simply attach one epub file to an email. She picks up the email on her iPad and downloads the attachment.

 

I tried it with 1 book. I'll post back if it worked or didn't work. (I hope she can find the file after she downloads it). I don't know the file structure of an iPad so she may have to figure that one out without my help.

 

Bookmark for me: https://www.lifewire.com/where-are-downloads-on-ipad-4688660

Edited May 5, 2020 by zlim

[abarbarian]

@zlim There is a way to access all of your Calibre library from anywhere on the internet using the Calibre Content Server. It does not look all that complicated and your friend can see all your library and download or read the books from a browser.

 

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/server.html#accessing-the-server-from-anywhere-on-the-internet

 

 

Do you not have a DropBox account ?

 

 

[zlim]

There is a way to access all of your Calibre library from anywhere on the internet

Thanks but  I don't want to do that. I'm using a Windows 7 computer. My "content" is on micro sd cards and I read on my larger tablet. I prefer to keep my activities inside my home and not hanging out on the internet.

The only reason I have Calibre installed was to convert to mobi. The two women who have Kindles do not access the internet. One turns 83 next week, doesn't own a computer and has no internet access. (Her idiot son gave her a Kindle. Obviously he is clueless as to what is useful to her. A sack of books would have been useful.)  I only put the books on her device because the Kindle was sitting in the box and I wanted her to be able to use it. The other women is older , closer to 90, and doesn't use a computer either. Her daughter gave her a Kindle because she has eye problems. She can enlarge books so she can read them. Even large print books might be a problem for her. Currently her device is broken and since I can't visit her, I can't load books on it.

 

Do you not have a DropBox account ?

No and I don't want one. My 17GB google drive account serves my modest needs. (I got 2 extra GBs a few years ago because I went through a security check). If I run out of room, I'll use the 15GB attached to my husband's email address because he doesn't store anything.

[Peachy]

I use the default Apple Books app to read epub files. I just put them into Dropbox first and then copy from DropBox to Books.

[zlim]

This was above my friend's comfort level. I didn't want to mention Dropbox because I'm almost 100% certain she doesn't know anything about that. They were also having problems with their internet. She was mainly accessing emails on her android phone.

 

When the internet came back, she got her husband to download the books to his Windows computer. At this point, I'm not sure if she is reading them on his computer or has transferred a book or two to her iPad.

 

Since we are still semi-lockdowned (3 months and counting) who knows when I will see her in person and find out the end result.