iWork VP Roger Rosner Taking Charge of Apple's Digital Textbook Initiative

rogerrosnerAccording to the Wall Street Journal, Roger Rosner is the executive in charge of Apple's digital textbook tools. According to his LinkedIn page, Rosner is a Vice President for Productivity Applications at Apple, and has been with the company since 2001, prior to which he was CEO of Bluefish Labs, a software development firm that Apple purchased.

Prior to working on the textbook service, Rosner was in charge of Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- Apple's iWork suite of office applications. Jessica Vascellaro writes for the WSJ:

Mr. Rosner's involvement is a sign of how strongly Apple intends to emphasize textbook creation, in a move to change the type of educational content that exists on the market. It also underscores how as textbooks—and all media—goes digital, it is increasingly important for tech companies to get media companies to create digital content with their software or in formats compatible with their services and devices.

Whether Mr. Rosner, whose LinkedIn profile pegs him at Apple for more than a decade, will take the stage on Thursday remains unclear. If so, audiences may remember him from Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference this past June, where he demonstrated features of iCloud, the company's online syncing and storing service.

Rosner made his first widely-viewed public appearance when he demonstrated iCloud onstage at WWDC in June of 2011.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4: Here Are 5 New Features to Expect on Your iPhone

Tuesday September 16, 2025 11:17 am PDT by
iOS 26 was finally released on Monday, but the software train never stops, and the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 will likely be released soon. iOS 18.1 was an anomaly, as the first developer beta of that version was released in late July last year, to allow for early testing of Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of iOS 15.1, iOS 16.1, and iOS 17.1 were all released in the second ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Apple's Rumored MacBook Pro Redesign: 6 New Features Anticipated

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:26 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small ...
ios 26 liquid glass dark mode

iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design Makes App Icons Look Crooked, Report Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:55 am PDT by
iOS 26's new Liquid Glass interface has been criticized for making some content illegible in certain circumstances, and now the UI design is reportedly causing another unusual visual problem for some users. Liquid Glass adds subtle glowing effects to the corners of app icons, creating a dynamic glass-like appearance with depth and parallax effects. However, as noted by Gizmodo, this design...
iOS 26 Glass Feature

iOS 26: The Top 100 New Features and Changes

Tuesday September 16, 2025 12:26 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26 on September 15, and it's now available for all iPhone users with a compatible device. There are a lot of changes and features to learn about, so if you want a quick, easy-to-read list that outlines what's new, we've got you covered. Design Liquid Glass design that reflects light and refracts what's underneath. It's system wide, with dynamic tab bars and toolbars...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...

Top Rated Comments

jpitcairn Avatar
178 months ago
iWork '12 released Thursday perhaps? With this new tool as part of the suite.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dethmaShine Avatar
178 months ago
More importantly, can I please have iWork '12? :(
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pacman7331 Avatar
178 months ago
I have high hopes for this Textbook thing.

I really hope Apple can install some sanity into the despicable situation with student textbooks. As of now, even if you want to do your part, and eliminate wasteful use of resources by printing textbooks year after year which have only trivial details separating them from the year before, you can buy some books in eBook format. For example on this site: www.cengagebrain.com

You can buy at least some books in eBook format, being a good samaritan, but can you put it on your iPad and stash it away on the shelf in iBooks?

No.

No, you have to lease the item off the website, thereby only able to access the book while under hegemony of the internet, login on their website, and browsing.

Which makes it less portable than a regular heavy textbook.

Thus we can have technology liberate us, or enslave us to further hassles, and petty tribute.

I hope Apple will muster the gusto to allow the former.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tmelon Avatar
178 months ago
I will be the happiest man alive if there is an iWork '12 announcement. It's years overdue.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
*LTD* Avatar
178 months ago
Please get the Mac version of iWork to auto-sync with iCloud.

EDIT:

Here's a workaround, but it's just that - a workaround:

http://gigaom.com/apple/how-to-create-and-modify-icloud-stored-iwork-files-on-os-x/

Not particularly viable for the mass market.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sol Avatar
178 months ago
It will be great if all those heavy textbooks will be replaced by iPads so that kids' backs can be put to better use carrying bags of coal again.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)