Apple announces education event in New York City next Thursday, Jan. 19

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014


Apple on Wednesday sent out invitations for a special event next week on Jan. 19 in New York City, where it has promised an "education announcement in the Big Apple."



The invitation, as shown by The Loop, features a chalkboard-style drawing outlining the skyline of New York. Front and center in the skyline is the Apple logo, while the tagline for the event confirms that the event will involve an education-related announcement.



The media briefing will take place next Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Guggenheim Museum at 10 a.m. Eastern, 7 a.m. Pacific. Previous rumors suggested Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue will play a part in the demonstration, which will not show off any new hardware like an anticipated third-generation iPad or rumored Apple television.



Instead, the event is expected to focus on enhancements to the iBooks platform with respect to education and digital textbook publishing. Rumors have suggested the event will highlight iTunes U, a free service Apple provides that gives access to educational content, and other education-oriented topics.



Apple launched its iBooks platform in 2010 with the debut of the iPad. Its digital bookstore eventually made its way to the iPhone and iPod touch, but has not yet become available on Mac or PC.











Reports have said Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was personally involved in this new project before he passed away in early October. Jobs even told biographer Walter Isaacson that textbooks were one product he wanted to reinvent, along with photography and televisions.



Attendees at next week's event are expected to be from the world of publishing, and reports have suggested it will be more of an industry-related event than a consumer-oriented product announcement. One report from earlier this month claimed Apple would take the wraps off of new improvements to its iBooks platform at the event, but any announcements have been characterized as not "major."

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 67
    "But I don't know what to do with all those eMacs and iPad docks…



    They're callin' again…"



    So. What's this gonna be about?
  • Reply 2 of 67
    I may be wrong . . . but isn't next Wednesday the 18th of January, 2012? I sure hope everyone shows up on the correct day!
  • Reply 3 of 67
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by VinitaBoy View Post


    I may be wrong . . . but isn't next Wednesday the 18th of January, 2012?



    Yeah. It's Thursday. Next Thursday.
  • Reply 4 of 67
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Before the iPad came on the market I said that Apple would have to focus on education market right out the gate to really sell the tablet concept work. By that I meant being able to do everything you can do today with textbooks and more. From high quality photos to being able to annotate, bookmark, and take notes right in the textbooks. This mostly later came with iBooks but they still haven't pushed heavily into education markets. I've bought plenty of apps that offer their own take on the textbook. Hopefully Apple has worked out a system that allows for renting textbooks and for getting iBooks on the Mac. I think both are long overdue.
  • Reply 5 of 67
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Hopefully Apple has worked out a system that allows for renting textbooks and for getting iBooks on the Mac.



    iMessage makes more sense on the Mac than iBooks. The whole point here is to hold the book in your hand. I won't care if iBooks never comes to the Mac, not doing so allows Apple to focus more on making iBooks great as opposed to it being everywhere.
  • Reply 6 of 67
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Hopefully Apple has worked out a system that allows for renting textbooks and for getting iBooks on the Mac. I think both are long overdue.



    I think we need an adequate authoring platform before we will see many textbooks on iBooks. Right now the closest thing we have to build enhanced format iBooks is inDesign and then fine tune it with a text editor. I just don't think we can get by with that as a work flow methodology. Unfortunately it looks like iBooks might suffer the same fate as web pages. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!
  • Reply 7 of 67
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    My confidential sources, informants and snitches have informed me that Apple will be releasing a low cost ePad on Jan. 19. The ePad will be a low cost version of the current iPad and it will come pre-installed with various educational software and textbooks. They will only be available for purchase by educational institutions and schools.



    Actually, I'm full of shit, and I just made all of that up. I just felt like playing one of those retarded analysts for a quick minute and my guess is as good or better than any other guess coming from the people supposedly in the know.
  • Reply 8 of 67
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    iMessage makes more sense on the Mac than iBooks. The whole point here is to hold the book in your hand. I won't care if iBooks never comes to the Mac, not doing so allows Apple to focus more on making iBooks great as opposed to it being everywhere.



    How is any of that mutually exclusive? iBooks on the Mac would make it a lot easier to copy/paste sections for citations without having to use your finger, then copy to Notes then sync to Mail so you can then write up your report without having to jump from device to device and across multiple apps. There are still real benefits to a mouse pointer, desktop OS, and large display that a finger, mobile OS and tiny screen won't ever overcome.
  • Reply 9 of 67
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,056member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by VinitaBoy View Post


    I may be wrong . . . but isn't next Wednesday the 18th of January, 2012? I sure hope everyone shows up on the correct day!



    "Apple on Wednesday sent out invitations for a special event next week on Jan. 19..."



    Today is Wednesday January 11th. Does that help?



    As an educator, I'm really interested in what this event will bring.
  • Reply 10 of 67
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I think we need an adequate authoring platform before we will see many textbooks on iBooks. Right now the closest thing we have to build enhanced format iBooks is inDesign and then fine tune it with a text editor. I just don't think we can get by with that as a work flow methodology. Unfortunately it looks like iBooks might suffer the same fate as web pages. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!



    Maybe, but even if they didn't do anything more than release pdf versions of current texts, it would be huge. My daughter routinely carries 3-5 books home with her every day and her backpack probably weighs 25 pounds some days. There's really no excuse for that - her school already issues tablet computers to the kids, so if they had pdf versions, it would be easy.
  • Reply 11 of 67
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I think we need an adequate authoring platform before we will see many textbooks on iBooks. Right now the closest thing we have to build enhanced format iBooks is inDesign and then fine tune it with a text editor. I just don't think we can get by with that as a work flow methodology. Unfortunately it looks like iBooks might suffer the same fate as web pages. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!



    I hope that is what they have been working on for the last couple years. I have to wonder if some education partners really need its own event or if this is going to focus on new authoring software.
  • Reply 12 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eightzero View Post


    Today is Wednesday January 11th. Does that help?



    It expressly states "Next Wednesday, Jan. 19" later on. It wasn't a question of arbitrary sentence structure.
  • Reply 13 of 67
    I think Apple has been making education announcements for quite a while now...
  • Reply 14 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    There's really no excuse for that - her school already issues tablet computers to the kids, so if they had pdf versions, it would be easy.



    I occasionally see two young girls on the way to school in the morning. They look like junior flight attendants, each dragging a luggage carrier loaded with a rucksack (presumably full of books). An iPad to take over the job seems a natural.
  • Reply 15 of 67
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Maybe, but even if they didn't do anything more than release pdf versions of current texts, it would be huge. My daughter routinely carries 3-5 books home with her every day and her backpack probably weighs 25 pounds some days. There's really no excuse for that - her school already issues tablet computers to the kids, so if they had pdf versions, it would be easy.





    Although iBooks can read PDF, I have not read that Apple's FairPlay is compatible with Acrobat. The Text book publishers are not going to release non-DRM versions. That is pretty much a given.
  • Reply 16 of 67
    simtubsimtub Posts: 277member
    Apple, bring out a giant touchscreen board so teachers can draw directly on the wall like a white/chalk board and add Siri onto it so the user can command it to bring up content on the fly.
  • Reply 17 of 67
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ricochet View Post


    I occasionally see two young girls on the way to school in the morning. They look like junior flight attendants, each dragging a luggage carrier loaded with a rucksack (presumably full of books). An iPad to take over the job seems a natural.



    The girls in my neighborhood look like junior strippers, lol. Sorry about the trolling.
  • Reply 18 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    iMessage makes more sense on the Mac than iBooks. The whole point here is to hold the book in your hand. I won't care if iBooks never comes to the Mac, not doing so allows Apple to focus more on making iBooks great as opposed to it being everywhere.



    Actually, extending Preview.app to incorporate the same capabililties as iBooks for the Mac and thus have ePub 3.0 full support makes sense.
  • Reply 19 of 67
    I never do this, but I'm having fun because I'm 99% sure I know a secret related to this announcement -- surprised it hasn't leaked, honestly. Won't be able to prove it after the fact if I don't spill the beans though. *sigh*. The part I know doesn't tell the whole story at all anyway, and I'm curious to see how far Apple goes with it.



    I guess I could say that before any announcement for any company. Oh well.
  • Reply 20 of 67
    ortalortal Posts: 25member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aaronsullivan View Post


    I never do this, but I'm having fun because I'm 99% sure I know a secret related to this announcement -- surprised it hasn't leaked, honestly. *sigh* Won't be able to prove it after the fact if I don't spill the beans though. *sigh*. The part I know doesn't tell the whole story at all anyway, and I'm curious to see how far Apple goes with it.



    thats basically like saying 'i have a secret btw but im not telling you.' why even bring it up
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