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."

textbooks
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.

Related Forum: iOS 7

Top Rated Comments

0000757 Avatar
154 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.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
charlituna Avatar
154 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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WordMasterRice Avatar
154 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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
batchtaster Avatar
154 months ago
This iBooks Textbooks thing is going nowhere without Apple releasing some sort of Android/Windows Software for iBooks.

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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A Hebrew Avatar
154 months ago
This iBooks Textbooks thing is going nowhere without Apple releasing some sort of Android/Windows Software for iBooks.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sirious Avatar
154 months ago
Could this mean anything too?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...