Apple Plans Education Announcement, Are iPad Textbooks Coming Soon?

by Jennifer Johnson — Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 03:56 PM EDT

Earlier this week, we told you about OnlineEducation.net's predictions for the growth of digital textbooks. It appears Apple agrees there is a big future in digital textbook sales. According to various reports, Apple is planning to reveal a new product at a press conference this Thursday that will change the way students use textbooks.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting Apple's plans to reveal a new digital textbook product on Thursday and has cited unnamed sources familiar with the plans. This product is expected to give publishers a platform where they can create educational materials optimized for Apple's iPad tablet. The announcement is also expected to include information about partnerships with some of the well-known publishing companies such as McGraw-Hill.

Walter Isaacsson’s authorized biography of Steve Jobs gave us a hint that such a product could be in the works: In the biography, Isaacsson says Jobs had met with a number of publishers and believed all textbooks should be digital and interactive. Given Apple's stronghold in the tablet market, the move into digital textbooks makes sense as it would provide additional revenue for the company.

Of course, Apple isn't the first company to introduce digital textbooks. However, Apple wasn't the first company to introduce portable MP3 players or tablet computers, either, and we all know how successful the iPod and iPad have been.

Tags: Apple, tablet, ipad, textbook, digital textbook

Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer grew up around technology. From an early age, she was curious about all things related to computers. As a child, Jennifer remembers spending nights with her dad programming in BASIC and taking apart hard drives to see what was inside. In high school, she wrote her senior term paper on her experiences with building custom computers.

Jennifer graduated from the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. After college, she began writing full-time for various PC and technology magazines. Later, she transitioned to the Web. In these roles, Jennifer has covered a variety of topics including laptops, desktops, smartphones, cameras, tablets, and various consumer electronics devices. When she's not playing with or writing about the latest gadget, Jennifer loves to spend time with her family, capture memories with her camera, and scrapbook.

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