Apple Books has always trailed Kindle, but one acquisition would transform it

Apple Books is one of my favorite iPhone apps, but I know I’m in the minority. In the world of digital books, Kindle dominates. But there’s one acquisition Apple could make that would truly transform Apple Books’ future.

Bringing the library to Apple Books

Apple isn’t short on cash. And I suppose there’s also no shortage of pundits making recommendations for how Apple spends that cash.

That said, I think the company should buy OverDrive.

OverDrive works with public libraries to create digital collections of their books. It then makes those books available in its app, Libby.

Libby is the reading app I’ve started using far more than Apple Books, for the simple reason that it provides countless ebooks and audiobooks for free.

All you need is a library card to gain access to a vast catalog of digital titles in Libby.

And if Apple acquired OverDrive, it could bake library integration into Apple Books and create a truly compelling Kindle and Audible competitor.

The wins for Apple

Full library support would give millions of iPhone users a good reason to finally use the Apple Books app.

Free books? Free ebooks and audiobooks, with no need to install another app?

Put a little marketing power behind the new feature, and it will sell itself.

Apple would also, through its OverDrive acquisition, be supporting the public library system and helping it modernize.

Public libraries may not seem like the most relevant institution to the modern iPhone user. But Apple could change that. It could support a long-standing community service while making newer generations learn to love libraries again—even if only through the Books app.

As things stand today, Apple Books has had a hard time winning over Kindle and Audible loyalists. But with library integration, it could pull in a whole new group of users.

The objections

Some might object: if Apple builds library support into Apple Books, it will sacrifice services revenue.

Maybe, but maybe not.

First I should point out that whatever revenue Apple’s currently generating from Books is fairly small. The company doesn’t release sales numbers, but based on all the research I’ve seen, Apple Books transactions are a tiny fraction of print and Kindle sales for authors.

Then consider that if Apple can bring significantly more users into the app, it will have a lot more opportunities to sell books to those people.

Digital library titles are great, but often they come with long waits—particularly if they’re new or trending titles.

Apple would still offer to sell books, that way if you’re not willing to wait for a library hold, you can start reading immediately with a purchase.

Apple Books would still provide regular sales on titles like it does now. And it could even use iOS 18’s new notification feature to notify users of library holds that go on sale.

Ultimately, I think the company would generate more revenue from Apple Books with this approach than it currently does.

Wrap-up

It would be a serious undertaking to not only acquire OverDrive but also integrate its tech into Apple Books. The Books app would need to change in significant ways, and Apple probably doesn’t want to divert that many resources to an underperforming app.

But if the company ever wants to get serious about competing with Amazon with its book offerings, throwing weight behind libraries would be a great place to start.

What do you think? Would you use Apple Books if it offered library integration? Let us know in the comments.