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Apple's iBook 2 for the iPad |
By DAWN ELARDO
One of Steve Jobs's final targets for Apple, prior to his passing—which many overlooked, focusing mostly on the tech pioneer's claim to wanting to disrupt the television industry—was education.
In Walter Issacson's Steve Jobs Biography, towards the end of the book, it becomes apparent that both the author and Jobs was preparing to make sure to talk about everything the high-tech entrepreneur (of all time), thought was important to him and everything he stood for.
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Apple's iBook 2 for the iPad |
And Apple has been working incredibly hard as per usual to achieve goals that are true to Apple's DNA and dictum. Yesterday at the Guggenheim in New York, they announced the launch of iBooks 2 for the iPad: It's an application that will allow anyone to either create an iBook or buy an iBook.
Earmarking the textbook industry, Apple's plan of action is to propel the sluggish education program in this country to rise up to the challenge.
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Apple's iBook 2 for the iPad |
Indeed, it will be interesting to see how Apple will maneuver its strategy and campaign for one of the biggest tech disruption possibilities yet, sans Steve.
Jobs's wife, Laureen Powell did in fact already kick-start this ambitious but momentous undertaking just this past spring. The task at hand was to help the public school system upgrade learning to the 21st century.
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Apple's iBook 2 for the iPad |
Apple iBook 2 is of course a free application for the iPad. The price for the action-pact digital textbooks for the iBook, will be capped at $14.99, (a simple aspect that Jobs thought was detrimental for the iTunes to work as well, at just 99 cents a song).
iBooks Author, is also a free app for anyone to create with a robust multimedia digital textbook offered and designed by Apple.
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Apple's iBook 2 for the iPad |
"The process by which states certify textbooks is corrupt," said Jobs, "But if we can make the textbook free, and they come with the iPad, then they don't have to be certified."
In pure Steve Jobs sentiment he wanted to find a way to help learning in schools become a priority—despite the harrowing recession—delineating in the book that, "The crappy economy at the state level will last for a decade, and we can give them an opportunity to circumvent that whole process and save money."