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"The latest scuttlebutt on Apple's big education announcement next week: the company is venturing into textbooks. \nAn industry insider confirmed to the New York Times that Apple will, in fact, be partnering with textbook publishers. No new devices will be shown, the source says, but Apple will discuss their new digital textbook business next week. \n\u201CJoin us for an education announcement in the Big Apple,\u201D is all the invitation from Apple says. Mashable will be reporting from the event at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City on Jan. 19. \nThe location makes sense for a textbook announcement; New York City is a hot spot for textbook publishers. But will cash-strapped college students pay for digital books when  studies show that renting paper books is cheaper? The same report did show, however, that digital books are typically cheaper than new paperback books. \nIn addition to the price, the majority of students prefer printed books, according to another study. So Apple has its work cut out for it. The company will need to partner with enough publishers, and make its digital books cheap and good looking enough to trump even used and rental print editions. \nTextbook giants McGraw-Hill and Pearson already have a stake in the digital book realm. Still, aligning their companies with a brand such as Apple and the massive market presence that goes with it \u2014 particularly in some Newsstand-like venture \u2014 could make digital textbooks soar. \nNewsstand increased revenues by more than 200% for at least one magazine publisher (Conde Nast). Other New York publishers will have taken note. History has shown that when Apple jumps into an industry \u2014 music, movies, phone apps, books and magazines \u2014 the prices drop, and Apple  dominates the market. \nCould affordable digital textbooks be the preferred choice of college students in the near future? What do you think about Apple getting into the textbook game? Let us know in the comments."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/01/11/apples-textbook-venture/>