Replacing Textbooks with iPads

Have you heard about the recent trend for schools/school districts replacing textbooks with iPads? or rather, discussing making that happen. (You can read this story from BNET for more information about this discussion in Georgia.)

Some of the arguments against it:

• “with Apple’s dubious history of digital censorship, students could end up reading whitewashed versions of history, among other things”
• “Apple has sold 15 million iPads within the past 10 months, but there’s absolutely no guarantee that the original iPad will remain preeminent in the future”
• “The biggest issue here, however, is that Apple announces a new iPad every year, making them obsolete quicker than the textbooks school systems hope to replace. Apple will render previous iPad versions obsolete on a regular basis.”

What do you think?

Sources:

• No Class: Georgia Schools Are Nuts to Consider Replacing Textbooks with iPads, from BNET