On Thursday Apple will hold a small event to show off its latest efforts in the education market. Most sources seem to agree that the event will focus on ways in which textbooks can be brought into the digital age of tablets – but Apple might have a few other tricks up its sleeve. The event might also focus on the announcement of new tools that can be used to create these digital textbooks.
The case for digital textbook has been around for a while. Textbooks are expensive to buy, expensive to print and also heavy to carry around. Imagine a student a few years from now just carrying around a tablet, which has his/her textbooks stored. But the aim is not purely to replace existing textbooks – the value will lie in what type of interactivity can be built into a digital textbook. Instead of static images you find in normal textbooks, textbook publishers can now build in interactive features that enable the reader to better understand a particular issue – think videos, 3D models, sound clips etc.
Traditional textbook publishers will probably show off what textbook experiences they are planning for the iPad, while Apple might show some new content creation tools that will make it easier than ever to publish for the iPad. Right now the digital publishing market is also ripe for revolution with publishers being forced to code apps from scratch, or to use tools like Adobe’s Folio Builder. If Apple can build an easy to use, but powerful tool to build interactive textbooks, it will create another market in which Apple can dominate. The iPad is already doing very well, but if Apple can convince publishers to publish exclusively to the iPad, we can expect to see many students to switch to iPads.
But the idea of digital textbooks is not without problems – there are a few things that Apple will hopefully address:
1) Textbooks are expensive. Digital distribution should make it cheaper. Yet you cannot help but feel that publishers might think of iPad users as “well off”. If the digital textbooks are not a lot cheaper than the physical ones, don’t expect massive uptake.
2) Textbooks are boring. The digital versions need to be a LOT better than the physical ones. Think 3D models, social media integration, web links etc. Hell – let go of the “book” idea of flipping through pages.
3) Textbooks have second hand value. Many students get rid of their textbooks after a semester. Now Apple will probably not allow you to sell your “used” digital textbook. But there are a few ways this can be fixed. A subscription model based on a syllabus can work, provided the cost is lower than buying all the textbooks.
4) Textbooks have more perceived value in physical form than other media. Sure, we can easily describe the merits of digital music above physical CDs. But many people still prefer the heft and feel of a book. You know the type – they keep their university textbooks on the shelf until they are old and dusty. Again, the price and digital experience has to be better.
Naturally we should not expect these features to launch in SA – Apple does not really offer a lot of content (if any) to us Africans, but we can only hope. I am pretty sure the typical student would prefer carrying an iPad, than a stack of heavy books.
