Read the Beginner’s English text about Apple digital textbooks. Some phrases are highlighted and explained below. Don’t forget to answer the quiz and leave comments about the discussion questions.
Apple is a famous computer company. It makes modern computers, tablets and phones. Now the company wants to develop digital textbooks. Amazon and Barnes and Noble already sell e-books. Amazon’s Kindle Fire is the number 1 device for reading digital books. Apple’s iPad is number 2. The American company Google also says it hopes to make and sell e-books in 2012.
Apple will sell cheap digital books. The average price will be about $15. Some books will be less. Apple plans to sell the books to students and teachers because they like new technology. Digital textbooks are easy to use and are not heavy like normal books. Students can store 100s of digital textbooks in their cloud and read them on their iPad or laptop. They can use them at home or in a library and keep them forever.
Digital textbooks are a good idea for teachers. They can buy new digital books and magazines at a low price. Teachers can plan their lessons on their iPads and use the digital books. In the lesson, teachers can show students the texts and talk about them.
The first problem is iPads are expensive. Many students do not own iPads or laptops. Apple would like to offer students and teachers cheap ipad3s. They think students will then buy their digital textbooks. They also want to increase the number of Apple school and university textbooks. In the future, Apple would like to be the number 1 company for digital textbooks in the world.
The second problem is e-books are not popular. Only about 25% of students have e-books and 19% of teachers. Most people still buy paper books and many schools and universities. Paul Jones is a university student in Paris. He says “in school we use old and big books so my parents buy me traditional books from bookshops”.
Digital textbooks are a good idea. They can help students and teachers learn and develop. Apple hopes to sell lots of digital textbooks to students and teachers. In the future, every student may read digital textbooks but not now.
Here’s Amazon’s Kindle Fire
Here’s Steve Jobs talking about iBooks on the iPad. The video starts at 2:54
Apple digital textbooks phrases
- Famous
- Many people know about sth. “Brad Pitt is a famous actor”
- Modern
- New
- Tablets
- A small computer with only a screen, like a BIG mobile phone
- Develop
- To increase
- Digital textbooks
- Electronic books. They are not made of paper
- Already
- It began/happened before
- E-books
- Electronic/digital books
- Device
- A small electronic object
- Store
- To keep something somewhere. In the winter, he stores his bike in the garage”
- Cloud
- A place online to keep your files
- Magazines
- Like a newspaper but with more pages and sold every month. Newspaper = The Times. Magazine = Vogue
- Plan their lessons
- Write down what they will do in the class
- Expensive
- Not cheap. A lot of money. “Ferraris are very expensive”
- Own
- To buy and have something. “Roman Abramovich owns Chelsea Football Club”
- Offer
- To give someone a choice to have something
- Popular
- Many people like it. “Coca-cola is the most popular drink in the world”
- Traditional
- Old and people know about it. “Vodka is the traditional drink of Russia”
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Discussion questions
1) What do you think about the Amazon Kindle?
2) What is your opinion about the ipad for reading books?
3) Will people buy Apple digital textbooks? Why/Why not?
4) Can students learn more with digital textbooks?
5) Are digital textbooks more interesting for students?
