Apple jumps into digital textbooks fray
Source: Agencies |
January 21, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
APPLE Inc has taken a big jump into the digital textbooks market with the launch of its iBooks 2 software, aiming to revitalize the US education market and quicken the adoption of its market-leading iPad in that sector.
The giant consumer electronics company has been working on digital textbooks with publishers Pearson Plc, McGraw-Hill Cos Inc and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a trio responsible for 90 percent of textbooks sold in the United States.
The move pits the maker of the iPod and iPhone against Amazon.com Inc and other content and device makers that have made inroads into the estimated US$8 billion market with their electronic textbook offerings.
It could also see Apple shake up the traditional textbook market significantly, changing the emphasis from content to hardware; but publishers said working would be a great opportunity to revive and expand the market.
"I give such incredible marks to Steve Jobs and Apple for having this vision and pushing it through the iPad," Terry McGraw, chief executive of McGraw-Hill, said on Thursday.
He said he had been talking to the Apple's founder and his team since June about recreating textbooks as applications. Jobs died in October.
The giant consumer electronics company has been working on digital textbooks with publishers Pearson Plc, McGraw-Hill Cos Inc and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a trio responsible for 90 percent of textbooks sold in the United States.
The move pits the maker of the iPod and iPhone against Amazon.com Inc and other content and device makers that have made inroads into the estimated US$8 billion market with their electronic textbook offerings.
It could also see Apple shake up the traditional textbook market significantly, changing the emphasis from content to hardware; but publishers said working would be a great opportunity to revive and expand the market.
"I give such incredible marks to Steve Jobs and Apple for having this vision and pushing it through the iPad," Terry McGraw, chief executive of McGraw-Hill, said on Thursday.
He said he had been talking to the Apple's founder and his team since June about recreating textbooks as applications. Jobs died in October.
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