By now I am sure that you have heard, read and youtubed about Apple’s new iBooks 2 and iBooks Author for the iPad.  You are well aware of the how visually stunning and captivating the content made for it can be.  You are awed by how seemingly simple it is to create these highly engaging e-books.  So it is only natural that the question that you are asking yourself (or I am asking for you) is “does this mark the end of text books as we know it?”.  It could be argued that the two answers to that question are 1. Yes and 2. Not yet.

Yes because…

A) Though the initial investment might be substantial, the money saved on textbooks, computers, paper and supplies will greatly outweigh it in the long run.

B) Pearson, Houghton Mifflin and McGraw Hill have already partnered with Apple to begin publishing textbooks via iBooks Author.  They account for 90% of all textbooks sold.  I think it is safe to say that they saw the Apple train coming full steam and they had two choices…get on board or get run over!  We see the option they chose.

Not yet because…

Schools and districts that have recently made investments in new textbooks and instructional technology will surely try to get a return on their investment.  They will not submit until the next mandatory procurement cycle is upon them.