NEW YORK — Apple Inc. on Thursday launched its attempt to make the iPad a replacement for a satchel full of textbooks by starting to sell electronic versions of a handful of standard high-school books.
The electronic textbooks, which include “Biology” and “Environmental Science” from Pearson and “Algebra 1” and “Chemistry” from McGraw-Hill, contain videos and other interactive elements.
But it’s far from clear that even a company with Apple’s clout will be able to reform the primary and high-school textbook market. The printed books are bought by schools, not students, and are reused year after year, which isn’t possible with the electronic versions.
New books are subject to a lengthy state approval processes, making the speed and ease with which e-books can be published less of an advantage.
Major textbook publishers have been making electronic versions of their products for years. But until recently, there hasn’t been any hardware suitable to display them.
Apple didn’t reveal any new program to defray the cost of getting $499 iPads into the hands of students.
