Loyal Apple customers chomping at the bit for a next-gen iPad reveal or iTV demonstration: prepare to be disappointed. New scuttlebutt suggests the company's New York City media event this month will instead pull back the curtain on a new educational program.
According to AllThingsD, Apple may expand its iTunes U program to potentially include e-textbooks. Currently, the digital distribution channel hosts lectures and educational material from high-profile universities and public organizations.
The tech news site noted that statements made by Steve Jobs to biographer Walter Isaacson before his death detailed the plan. Jobs' goal was to work directly with publishers to bring digital versions of their textbooks to iTunes.
Fox and Friends anchor Clayton Morris echoed the rumor, writing at his personal blog that the announcement is strictly software-related. Apple chose the Big Apple because of its relevance and importance to the book publishing industry, said Morris.
Several major publishers, including HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Scholastic, are based in New York.
Last month, an IHS report touted education as a good fit for eReaders, predicting the dedicated devices may falter in a few years as full-featured media tablets drop in price. Apple could be positioning its iPad to snatch shares of the still-nascent electronic education market. (via AllThingsD)
