Entertainment - by Keyana Stevens on Thursday, February 4, 2010 15:11 - 5 Comments - 969 views
Several textbook publishers (including heavy hitters McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin) have just announced that they will start working with developers to make textbook applications for Apple’s iPad. Because of the iPad’s touch-screen interface, the new applications could be interactive, with extra study guides and practice tests.
Couple this announcement with the recent sparring between Macmillan and Amazon over Kindle pricing, and it seems the clear indication is that publishers are set to abandon the Kindle in favor of the iPad as the preferred e-book platform.
No word yet on whether this will bring down the exorbitant cost of textbooks (my guess is that it won’t by much, especially if the plan is to incorporate interactive elements), but it would at least make them easier to carry.
What do you think? Does the iPad’s textbook potential make it a more attractive product, despite some flaws?
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5 Comments
Consider » Blog Archive » Are Textbooks On The iPad A Good Idea?
[...] Stevens at the excellent NYU Local notices that book publishers are getting on board the iPad: Several textbook publishers (including heavy [...]
Aside from the eyes-getting-tired issue, I think it could be a great replacement. Lighter. Less consumption of trees to make paper. There is a 3rd party stylus pen for the iPad, so taking handwritten notes on it will be possible too. I’m sure textbook publishers will find a way to mess it up the first time around, but eventually, the transition is inevitable.
Phillip Klugman
For anyone who is set on getting an iPad but also wants to keep their eyesight.
i am planning to buy an iPad since it looks lighter than a regular desknote and i don not use much of the features of a laptop.;”*
Textbooks or not, the iPad will hurt my eyes after a while and a regular book will not. The iPad might glow in the dark, but what matters to readers is being able to read for long periods, something the Kindle is equipped to do; however, we spend so much time in front of screens anyway, why add more through Kindle or the iPad?