Google is continuing its campaign to challenge Apple in the classroom, as it rolls out textbook support, including book rental capabilities, in its updated Google Play Books app for iOS.
Textbooks can be rented or purchased via the website, and then accessed in the iOS app itself. Once added to a personal book list on the website, the textbooks will show up in the app, though they will be displayed in the same section as regular books.
Google announced its plans to include textbooks in its Google Play store at its I/O conference earlier this year as a part of its Google Play for Education initiative. The plan, designed to get Google products into schools, competes with Apple’s push to expand its educational presence by offering a number of school friendly options that include its popular iPad.
Google’s textbook rental service, in conjunction with it’s low priced tablet offerings, should help it gain a foothold in educational institutions as it battles Apple on the educational battlefront.
The Google Play Books update also adds highlighting and note-taking for scanned pages as sepia reading mode, and the ever popular stability and performance improvements.
Google Play Books is available FREE for the iPhone and iPad the App Store. [DIRECT LINK]
