Apple Releases iBooks 2 - Reinvents the Textbook

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJxZG2Nv4KA

This morning, Apple held an education event at the Guggenheim Museum to released their latest update to iBooks. The update brought a new section for e-textbooks aimed to lighten up the backpacks of students in the United States (No word on other countries yet).

Textbooks available in the iBooks store will be fully interactive. Apple has allowed publishers to embed widgets, photos, videos, and HTML5 content right into their textbooks to provide an immersive experience that just wasn’t possible with conventional textbooks. Publishers will also be able to update content as new information becomes available on the particular subject the textbook covers. Just like a real textbook, you’ll be able to highlight and add notes to make studying a breeze. As far as content availability goes,  Apple has partnered with Pearson, McGraw Hill, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to provide textbooks at launch for $14.99 or less. If you’ve ever been in the market for textbooks, you’ll know that $14.99 is an amazing price for something that is always up-to-date and won’t require a visit to the chiropractor after you’ve finished school.