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Hearing Apple’s announcement regarding the release of iBooks 2 took me back to the late 90’s when I came across a cartoon strip featuring a young boy heading to class with a digital tablet instead of a backpack. Back then, digital tablets seemed a highly innovative way of perceiving the future.

 iPads are interactive, easy to use, and easy to upgrade. Apple’s marketing head Phil Schiller confirmed that more than 1.5 million iPads are in use in educational programs and that Apple’s App Store currently has over 20,000 education related apps. According to a survey conducted by Pearson Foundation in 2011, 70% percent of college students and college-bound high school seniors are interested in owning a tablet device, and 20% expect to purchase a tablet within the next six months.

The latest announcement from Apple was education-oriented indeed, as the company announced its involvement in revolutionizing the textbook business. Textbooks featured in iBooks 2 also include voice, videos within chapters, 3D models, interactive diagrams, and animation. In addition to that, iBooks 2 introduced a tool that transforms the user’s side notes and glossary terms instantly into flashcards.

The iBookstore features textbooks on algebra, biology, chemistry, geometry, and physics from McGraw-Hill and Pearson. The titles announced by the publishers focus on kindergarten through 12th grade students, with most priced at $14.99 or less. Apple is collecting 30% from each sale. Textbooks from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Dorling Kindersley are to be released soon.