Apple has announced the expanded availability of its iBooks Textbooks and iTunes U Course Manager, two education-oriented products from the company. The products are entering new markets, including Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
With the additions, iBooks Textbooks are now available in a total of 51 countries, including Brazil, Italy, and Japan. In addition. iTunes U Course Manager is now available in 70 countries, including Russia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Apple first launched digital iBooks Textbooks – Which feature interactive animations, photo galleries, and video content – in early 2012, as part of a vision of late company co-founder Steve Jobs.
There are now almost 25,000 educational titles available that are created by independent publishers, teachers, and education service companies.
The iTunes U Course Manager allows educators to quickly and easily share knowledge and resources, whether it is to their local class, or a global audience. Users can access the world’s largest online catalog of free educational content, all via Apple’s free iOS application.
The app also allows teachers to integrate their own materials as part of their course curriculum, as well as Internet content, thousands of digital books available in the iBookstore, over 750,000 pieces of material from the existing iTunes U library, and any of the apps in the iOS App Store.
