iBooks2, iBook Author, iTunesU Released

Apple Unveils Cheaper Easier Education Apps

In an Apple keynote presentation recently, Apple introduced a suite of applications and ideas that hopes to change the way we access our education. iBooks got a face lift, iTunes U is now mobile, and iBooks Author allows you to create your own Ebooks quickly and easily.

iBooks2, iTunes U and iBooks author are all available today. If you already have iBooks, iBooks2 will be available as an update.

iBooks2

iBooks2 brings real interaction to reading, whether it be for pleasure or school. All iBooks2-compatible books will contain support for high quality, interactive graphics and videos embedded right into the book. Thumbnails will show different sections of the book, making it easy to find a particular part.

Textbooks will contain custom glossaries, study questions, and even the ability to turn your notes into flashcards for easy review or research. Apple has partnered with Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, DK Publishing and the E.O Biodiversity Foundation to produce textbooks for the new platform.

These textbooks will be priced at $15 or less, a huge change from the $50 or up students generally pay for their hard copy textbooks. Together, these publishers provide 90% of textbooks released in the United States.

iBooks Author

Making these new interactive books is not just for the big publishing companies. Apple introduced iBooks Author a Mac app, to allow anyone to create books for the new iBooks2 platform.

The iBooks author app allows high-quality graphics, videos, and even entire Keynote presentations to be inserted into home made books.

iTunes U

If you use iTunes, you're probably at least somewhat familiar with iTunes U, the section that allows professors to share lectures and even entire courses online for free. Now students can watch free lectures right on their iPads, iPhones or iPod touches.

Professors can also use the new iTunes U to share notes and other course content.