Apple Attempts to Revolutionize Textbooks with iBooks 2 and iBooks Author

If you read the Steve Jobs biography, congratulations on being able to read – I’ve always been jealous of people like you. In the biography, Jobs talked about wanting to change textbooks forever, by incorporating iPads, iPods, and iPhones to upload content. Why should (little puny) students have to lug around big textbooks? Today, Apple held an education media event in New York City. Apple has partnered with Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to bring major textbooks to their operation system, iOS (via iPhone in Canada).

The apps that were announced by Phil Schiller today were iBooks 2 and iBooks Author. iBooks 2 will be available for both the iPhone and the iPad, while iBooks Author is from the Mac App Store. Both apps will be available today for free.

From the App Store, the description of iBooks Author says, “Now anyone can create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books, and more for iPad. All you need is an idea and a Mac. Start with one of the Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. Add your own text and images with drag-and-drop ease. Use Multi-Touch widgets to include interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations, 3D objects, and more. Preview your book on your iPad at any time. Then submit your finished work to the iBookstore with a few simple steps. And before you know it, you’re a published author.”

Why do all the cool things come out AFTER I’m out of school? Time to go back and finish Grade 9!