Last week, Apple announced the release of the iBooks 2.
The new version of the application boasts the ability to buy textbooks, which created buzz about what this means for the textbook industry and students who must use them.
The iBooks 2 partnered with textbook production companies such as Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Houghfton Mifflin Harcourt to produce “e-textbooks,” which would cost $14.99. The free app is predicted to revolutionize the textbook industry by allowing students to purchase them on the iPad, instead of the paper edition, at a lower price. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Phil Schiller pointed out that textbooks are heavy and destructible. They are not meant to last long, and used books have previous highlighted areas and markings. The new app is set to fix this entire problem.
“The book is theirs,” Schiller said. “[Students] can mark it up and not worry.”
Most students are excited about the change.
“I would probably use the iBooks app to buy books,” WTAMU senior Shawn Boyd said. “Maybe it will bring some legitimacy to a very corrupt textbook industry. They publish new editions of books when the authors have only changed a few words, then they raise the price. Now they won’t be so expensive.”
The problem with the idea, however, is the initial cost of buying an iPad. Some students, such as senior Julia Greif, would rather have a paper copy of the book rather than purchasing the electronics.
“I don’t know if I’d consider buying an iPad just for the purpose of textbooks. That’s quite a hefty purchase for just textbooks,” said Greif. “Being a senior and an AD/PR major, I don’t think that books costs are too high; but for someone who is a freshman, they might want to consider this.”
