iOS 7 May Include iPhone Support for iBooks Textbooks

It appears that Apple plans to include support for iBooks Textbooks on the iPhone and the iPod touch with the launch of iOS 7. As noted by 9to5Mac, the iOS 7 App Store includes a new "iBooks Textbooks" section in the educational category.

The section is currently unpopulated, but it does contain the framework for future textbook offerings. There are a number of subject headings, including Humanities, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences, which include promotional graphics optimized for the iPhone. Section headings are also populated, advertising a number of book bundles like "High School Core Curriculum" and "School Yourself Hands-on Calculus."

The appearance of iBooks Textbooks in the App Store comes following an iBooks Author wording change suggesting Apple could be adding iPhone support for content created with the iBooks Author app. While the wording was later changed back to specify that such content was viewable only on the iPad, the wording has been changed once again to include all iOS devices with iBooks 3.0 or later.

iPhone support for Textbooks and other iBooks Author content is a logical step for Apple as it continues its educational push to get more iOS devices in classrooms. The company has signed several major educational deals in recent months and it has also changed its iTunes Terms and Conditions to allow students under age 13 to create educational iTunes accounts for the first time.

Apple is also planning to expand the reach of its iBooks with Mavericks, introducing an iBooks Mac app for the first time. The app, which is geared toward students, includes a number of study tools like automatically generated note cards and simple note-taking capabilities. iOS 7 is expected to be release shortly after the launch of the new iPhones on September 10, with Mavericks expected somewhat later in October.

Update: The Textbooks section has now been removed from the iOS 7 App Store.

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

0000757

83 months ago

This iBooks Textbooks thing is going nowhere without Apple releasing some sort of Android/Windows Software for iBooks.

While in my personal opinion Android is a horrible choice for a tablet, I do agree with you, at least having iBooks for Windows. This would be extremely useful for people who want the iBooks Textbooks on their computers without having to buy a Mac. Maybe we'll see iBooks for Windows after Mac OS X 10.9 comes out. Maybe. Windows got iTunes after all to support Apple's growing focus on the "i" hardware and it's digital distribution platform. iBooks is essentially part of the iTunes family, so I theorize we'll see iBooks for Windows sometime in the future. Maybe an iCloud version like iWork for iCloud at the very minimum.

----------

My Kindle app has done this for some time now. And the books are cheaper. So tired of Apple dragging their a** with products/services. Have fun with the iPhone S(same) and a fairy colored OS.

You realize Amazon didn't add textbooks to their store until after Apple launched iBooks Textbooks for the iPad back when the iPad 3 came out (or it might have even been before then). I also just looked at Amazon's price for Kindle Editions of their textbooks (which unlike iBooks, are NOT interactive textbooks, but essentially just static ebook files) and they are MUCH more expensive.

Sorry, but your attempt here has failed.

Rating: 3 Votes

charlituna

83 months ago

???How is reading and studying a 1,000 page text book on a small 3.5" or 4" practical???:confused:

Heck if I know but I was replying to the comment about textbooks taking off and said iPad.

So how's about you reply to what was said. Not put words in folks mouths.

----------

Yet, textbooks are so expensive, not because of their weight in value, but because of the prestige of authors.

Exclusive sales rights and pricing control don't help.

The DOJ claims it is being consumer friendly with this stuff against Apple but many of the real issues are wise deals that limit consumer choice like Amazon demanding that Downton Abbey be removed from all other steaming sources and only they get the Hunger Games novels. And unlike Apple, no other company said the publishers could have price control with a limit of how high they could go for almost all books. That is something the DOJ ignored. Just like ignoring that all companies have MFNs etc. Or that Amazon has and has used the power to remove access to books paid for including remote deleting them from users devices.

Rating: 1 Votes

WordMasterRice

83 months ago

Right, because nothing Apple has done with iOS has been successful without them supporting Android. Look at all the apps they were forced to release to Google Play just to get those services off the ground. Like... and that other one... and the one with the thing... and how nobody used them until Apple came to their senses and made the same functionality available on competing tablets and phones. If only schools would actually pay attention to iOS and the iPad... (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/21/first-seven-ipad-only-steve-jobs-schools-open-in-the-netherlands/) but maybe supporting Android will turn that around...

Seriously. Did you just arrive on the turnip truck or do you really not understand how Apple works? How Apple has always driven their business strategy, and have for decades? They have no interest in making $1 here and $1 there off Android users who simply have Store-jealousy and no intention of buying an iPad. Let alone giving them a reason not to buy an iPad by bleeding their product differentiation onto another platform. You chose not to get an iPad? Then you chose not to have access to iPad features. That was the decision you made, either consciously or otherwise: "I prioritize other things over the iBook Textbook Store". Whatever they might be. Now you're complaining about it? Sounds like buyer's regret. Either you need to choose more carefully next time, or you need to make peace with your decision. Or both.

Or neither and just stew about it silently.

iBooks is unlike anything else that Apple does. If you want to use iTunes for android all you have to do is buy the song and load it on your device. Same with using iTunes for a windows phone. Other than iWork (which isn't really isn't that far ahead of other word processors/spreadsheet apps) there is nothing that is so locked to the platform.

I would never buy an iBook or iBook Textbook knowing that if I leave iDevices I lose my entire library. Why anyone would purchase an iBook over a Kindle version for a similar price is beyond me. Why would you pay the same price for a book that you can only read on your iPhone an iPad when you could get the same thing but read it on iPhone, iPad, Android, WP8, Windows, Mac, Kindle.

Rating: 1 Votes

batchtaster

83 months ago

This iBooks Textbooks thing is going nowhere without Apple releasing some sort of Android/Windows Software for iBooks.

Rating: 1 Votes