Like it or not, Apple has a service for just about everything. You can stream music, watch prestige TV, store your photos, play games, keep up with the news, or even follow a guided workout. Each of these lives within Apple’s carefully constructed ecosystem of convenience. Yet, I feel like there is room to invest more in the reading side of things.
Yes, Apple Books exists. It’s beautifully designed, syncs well across devices, and feels at home on every Apple screen. But it’s not really a service in the modern Apple sense of the word. It’s a storefront that happens to be pleasant to use. It’s the iTunes Store circa 2006, still waiting for its streaming moment.
That’s where “Books+” would come in.
A subscription that combines the best parts of services like Audible and Kindle Unlimited could finally make Apple’s Books platform worth paying attention to. Imagine paying around $15-20 a month for access to a rotating library of included titles, plus a monthly credit for one audiobook. You’d get the convenience of a flat fee, the motivation of a credit you don’t want to waste, and the comfort of Apple’s ecosystem instead of Amazon’s sprawling mess.
Audible’s model proves this kind of thing works. I use it, and it really does get me to listen to more books because I know that credit is sitting there each month. But every time I open the Audible app, I’m reminded of how little Amazon seems to care about the experience. Even as a paying subscriber, the entire interface feels like one big upsell. The app shoves new offers, “member deals,” and endless banners in your face. It feels like shopping when I just want to listen. Apple could easily do better.
Apple Already Knows How to Build Services
What’s interesting is how well this fits Apple’s existing playbook. For the past decade, Apple has been quietly transitioning from a hardware company to one that makes a lot of money from recurring services. Apple Music was the first big one, followed by iCloud, TV+, Arcade, and Fitness+. Each one turns a one-time customer into a monthly subscriber. While the cost of the Apple One subscription has increased over the past few years, it’s still a really good value if you use most of their services – especially for families.
Reading is one of the few major media categories Apple hasn’t built a subscription model around. To me, it feels like a missed opportunity. Music, TV, games, and fitness are all covered, but not books. And if you look at the bigger cultural picture, this gap is even more obvious. Books are where a lot of meaningful stories start. Movies, TV shows, and games often build on them. Owning that space, or even having a serious presence in it, would give Apple a stronger foothold in storytelling and culture. Apple likes to talk about “services that enrich lives.”
The Problem with the Current Apple Books
Apple Books is actually a really solid app. It has a clean interface, solid typography, and a focus on content that’s refreshing compared to Amazon’s approach. But there’s a reason it’s mostly invisible in daily use. For most people, books and audiobooks are either bought through Kindle or Audible. Once you buy a few books in either, you’re locked in. Switching ecosystems would mean losing your library, your highlights, and your progress.
Apple has never built a real incentive for anyone to start building a library in Books, so they’re ceding that ground to Amazon. Books is a well-built app sitting quietly in the corner, hoping someone notices. I do think for some people there is a hardware side to this story a well (I’ll get to that), but the lack of a subscription service for many is a dealbreaker.
A subscription service could change that overnight. Suddenly Apple Books wouldn’t just be a place to buy things. It would be a reason build a library and keep coming back for more. Apple could open up some APIs to allow other “Goodreads” competitors to pop up. It would fit naturally alongside Apple Music and TV+, where you already get unlimited access to something you love.
How Books+ Could Work
A Books+ subscription could cost $15-20 per month. That could include a rotating catalog of included eBooks and audiobooks, similar to how Apple Arcade rotates games. On top of that, subscribers would get one monthly credit to use on any audiobook in the store.
It’s a familiar model, but Apple could add a few smart touches. Syncing between formats would be huge. Start reading a book, then continue where you left off in the audiobook. Apple already has the infrastructure for this kind of sync with Handoff and iCloud. A “read and listen” pairing would feel like magic when it works seamlessly.
Integration with Apple One would make it an easy upsell. Imagine opening the Apple One bundle page and seeing “Add Books+ for $10 more per month.” If you’re already paying for Music or TV+, it’s a short leap. Books+ subscribers could get exclusive audiobook previews on HomePod. Small touches that make the experience feel cohesive. For kids who have hand me down iPads and are part of an Apple One subscription, having access to a library of eBooks and audiobooks would be very welcome for parents. Amazon offers this as part of an Amazon Kids+ subscription currently but it requires a Kindle and an Alexa device to get the most out of it.
If I’m arguing with myself here I do wonder if the margins on this sort of thing are so small that Apple has decided already that it’s just not worth it. Or, after having their hand slapped previously they might be wary of getting further into the bookstore world.
The Case for an Apple E-Reader
The software side is the easy sell, but for many the Kindle hardware is hard to beat. If Apple really wanted to take this space seriously, they’d build a Kindle competitor. Not an iPad Mini. A true e-ink reader. Something light, simple, and designed purely for reading.
I know this sounds unlikely. Apple doesn’t chase niche categories, and e-ink devices are about as niche as it gets. But I still think there’s a case to be made. My iPad is basically used for email, browsing, reading Instapaper, and the occasional book. But I don’t love reading on it. The screen emits light, it’s signifigantly heavier than a Kindle, and there are constant distractions a swipe away. A dedicated reader would solve all of that. It could run a stripped-down version of iPadOS, use the Books app as its centerpiece, and sync seamlessly with your iPhone and iCloud library. I could see a lightweight homescreen with a few widgets running but primarily focused on a few basic iPadOS tasks. You could slot it in right below the iPad Mini price wise. I think if executed well it could be pretty badass. It wouldn’t have to compete with the iPad. It would complement it, much like how the Apple Watch complements the iPhone. A low-power, single-purpose device that makes one experience better.
Realistically, though, I know Apple probably won’t go there. The margins are too low, the market too small. But I’d buy one in a heartbeat. And I’m sure I’m not alone.
Why Apple Should Care About Books at All
If you step back, this isn’t really about audiobooks or e-readers. It’s about Apple’s cultural footprint.
Apple once defined how we listened to music, they’re now working on how we watch TV, and they continue to lead the way on how we think about privacy and personal technology. But lately, their influence feels narrower. They build incredible devices and ecosystems, but they rarely shape the way we consume media anymore.
Books+ could change that. It would show that Apple still cares about storytelling, still wants to give creators and consumers a better experience than what the tech giants around them offer. It would make the Books app something worth opening again.
And it would give Apple one more way to make its ecosystem genuinely useful. A place for music, TV, games, fitness, and finally, books.
The Bottom Line
I know I’m hundreds of words into this post but I should admit that I don’t expect Apple to actually enter the e-ink market anytime soon. But a Books+ service feels like the most obvious next step in their services strategy. It’s aligned with everything Apple already does well: clean design, privacy, thoughtful integration, and predictable pricing. It’s the kind of idea that could quietly become part of everyday life for millions of readers.
If Apple ever decides to take reading seriously, they already have most of the parts that are needed to do it right. They just need to put it together and give readers one more reason to stay inside the ecosystem.