APPLE'S NEW GENERATION IBOOKS+TEXTBOOKS

Steve Jobs vision of the future has one time again fomented revolution in the media industry, this time in the type of a brand spanking new education-oriented iBooks package that Apple announced today at an event in New York City. Looking to take the textbook industry head-on, Cupertino has created a set of apps that will lead to the extinction of the physical textbook & replace it with electronic media while simultaneously increasing the market penetration of its iPad tool. Apple's aim is to get schools to buy an iPad to give to every student, a aim that after the announcement today could very well become a reality. impressively, Apple also announced today that it's secured partnerships with Pearson, McGraw Hill, & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, publishers that make up 90% of textbook sales in the US & get this: e-textbooks will cost $15.

Apple has taken a three-pronged approach to its work to make a powerful move back to being the leader in desktop publishing. First, iBooks has received a major update to become iBooks two. Included in the book store is a brand spanking new textbook section that allows students to buy & download the titles they require for class. While this is nothing new in the world of e-publishing, Cupertino has added a wealth of interactivity that finally brings important features to using an e-reader for study. The most obvious being the ability to interact with the textbook through the iPad's touchscreen; students will be able to rotate & look at virtual 3D models, as well as getting descriptions & definitions that are associated with it. Videos & the ability to search online glossaries will truly bring a rich media experience to textbook study. of the largest gripes about e-books is the shortage of ability to take notes in an effective way: iBooks two has tackled that by giving you a highlighting technique that not only lets you generate visual cues when re-reading, but also gives the ability to generate electronic note cards that look like the actual thing for studying key ideas & terms.

Apple has thought of this as well by implementing the third part of its plan. Distribution will be handled through iTunes U, which historicallyin the past had been a separate section of the popular online music store. Historicallyin the past only offered to universities, iTunes U allows lecturers to upload audio & video content for students to make use of in study or to audit a work from home. Cupertino has now opened this process up to all schools, meaning that K-12 schooling districts can sign up to distribute materials created by teachers & other educators.

While interactivity is important, another major barrier for the success of the digital textbooks has been getting such content created by major publishers. Textbook companies have been dragging their feet because of the fact that the current model in place makes them a immense amount of funds. In lieu of trying to forge deals with each individual publisher, Apple has completed an end-around by generating iBooks Author, a free application that allows someone to generate an e-book for use with iBooks two. Teachers & professors can take Keynote presentations, text documents, videos, music, & pics to generate their own textbooks for use in the schooling arena. A amazing move on Apple's part, this busts through the content barrier by putting the power of creation in the hands of the user. But how are these created materials going to be distributed?

Today is going to be looked at as the time that marked the death of the physical book. Soon they are going to see authors that creatt works of written art that bring the tales they write to life in the hands of their readers. They are going to see a true convergence of media experience which will be seen as the end-times by some. I for am hoping that Wizards of the Coast will bring back the elderly Dungeons & Dragons choose your own adventure books in this format. I won't mourn the death of the physical novel, but revel in the evolution of the medium that will finally bring it in line with the way they are consuming other forms of media.

In neat package, Apple has implemented a content creation & delivery method that doesn't depend on partnerships with large corporations though it's secured the publishers that count & will without a doubt go on to sell large amounts of hardware to students & institutions similar. The iPad is now poised to make a significant alter like the iPod did on its release. Today's students have not known a world without computers or electronics to aid them in their everyday tasks. The classroom is of the last frontiers that has yet to see a significant advance that brings convergence between digital devices & learning. Until now. While Apple will be the leader for some time because of the announcement today, it won't be long before everyone else falls in line & begins to operate in the same method.