Apple has just posted the video from this mornings event, and I'm watching it now. I think the barrier for entry for a lot of people is going to make it hard for iPads to get traction in schools, but certainly starting with the collegiate market can help speed that. Apple launched itself to the forfront of computing in the late 70's by getting their Apple II into schools, where it was a mainstay even through the 80's when I was in elementary and junior high school. If they can do the same with the iPad, they could really make a difference.

Making the tools available to educators to build course work into .epub files that can organize assignments and link to text books could be huge. I know my Son loves his iPad, and could probably be much more interested in reading and homework if everything could be done on his iPad.

The other great part of this is the fact that textbooks becoming digital will relieve so many students of the hulking backpacks they need to carry every day. In addition, allowing textbooks to become interactive in this way I think can really appeal to the internet generation.

I'll be playing around with the new applications released today, and will have a review of them up tomorrow. Stay tuned!

The video of the event can be found here.