Apple sends digital textbook iBooks2 into the education market

January 20 news, according to Reuters, Apple introduced a new digital textbook service iBooks2 on Thursday to revitalize the US education market and accelerate the popularity of its market-leading product iPad. The consumer electronics giant has been working with publisher giants Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Houghton Muffin Harcourt to develop digital textbooks. The latter three monopolies 90% of the US textbook market.

The market size of US digital textbooks is estimated to reach 8 billion U.S. dollars, and currently Amazon and other equipment manufacturers have entered the market. At the press conference, Apple introduced tools for making digital textbooks and presented them. The editors and even teachers can use these tools to write textbooks for students. Phil Schiller, chief marketing officer of Apple, said it was time to completely change the format of textbooks and revealed that 1.5 million iPads have been used for teaching.

He said: "It is not difficult to know that textbooks have not always been an ideal learning tool. Therefore, this is a bit tricky." From Thursday, iBooks2 will be available to iPad users as a free application. Schiller said that the price of high school textbooks will be less than $14.99. "Everyone will see textbooks involving various grades and courses."

As the time for some sort of change in the market has matured, other media and technology companies have also targeted the US education market. Two years ago, Murdoch’s News Corps established the education business unit and hired former New York City education director Joel Klein to head the department.

Apple held a press conference at the Guggenheim Museum in New York for the first time after the founder of Steve Jobs died. At the conference, Schiller said that teachers need help and Apple is trying to come up with help. "Overall, (U.S.) education is now in a dark period," and it faces "very serious challenges."

Walter Isaacson's "Steve Jobs" revealed that last year Murdoch met with Steve Jobs to discuss the possibility of Apple's entry into the education market. Jobs estimated that the market can reach an annual scale of $ 8 billion, and believes that The time has come to intervene in the market.