Apple Announces iBooks 2 with Textbook Support

Today, Apple announced iBooks 2 with textbook support. The textbooks will be interactive and can include videos, Keynote presentations, 3D diagrams and more. Apple says that digital textbook on the iPad have many advantages of paper textbooks including ease of carrying to and from class, ability to update books and improve note taking. To download iBooks 2 click here. Textbooks will cost no more than $14.99. The textbooks will only be compatible with the iPad and will not work on iPhone or iPod Touch. The text books will be compatible with accessiblity features built into iOS 5. Click here to learn more about iOS 5 Accessiblity. Apple says,

"A Multi-Touch textbook on iPad is a gorgeous, full-screen experience full of interactive diagrams, photos, and videos. No longer limited to static pictures to illustrate the text, now students can dive into an image with interactive captions, rotate a 3D object, or have the answer spring to life in a chapter review. They can flip through a book by simply sliding a finger along the bottom of the screen. Highlighting text, taking notes, searching for content, and finding definitions in the glossary are just as easy. And with all their books on a single iPad, students will have no problem carrying them wherever they go."

The new textbooks will be easy to annotate. Students can easily highlight passages and add notes. A cool feature called study cards will make flash cards from your notes and highlights for easy studying. Apple says the following about study cards,

"All your notes and highlights automatically appear on study cards. Flip them over and find the definition of a glossary term or the note attached to the highlighted passage. Choose which highlight colors to review, and include chapter vocabulary from the glossary — automatically. To make sure you really know your stuff, you can shuffle your cards to study."

Apple will be partnering with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw Hill and Pearson at the beginning. Apple also announced iBook Author which allows individuals to create textbooks for the iPad. Click read more below to view more images of iBooks 2 Textbooks.

"Use a finger as a highlighter when reading any textbook in iBooks. Just swipe over text and it’s highlighted. Tap a highlighted section and a palette appears. Change colors, switch to underlining, or add a note instantly. Then switch to the Notes view to see all your notes and highlights organized in one place, making it a cinch to search or go back to the highlighted sections of the book." - Apple.com