With community colleges undergoing budget cuts and rising tuition, will the launch of Apple’s new iBooks 2 application really benefit students when it comes to purchasing textbooks?

On Jan. 19, Apple Senior Vice President for Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, announced that Apple launched a new version of the iBooks iOS application for iPod and iPad, which will offer electronic textbooks as well as a new textbook section in the iBookstore.

The cost of books is something you will hear students complain about, so can Apple’s new iBooks 2 launch really benefit students?

According to studies, buying an electronic version of a textbook will cost less than buying the actual textbook itself.

One of the major advantages is that it will make life a lot easier for students by carrying a tablet in which they will have all their textbooks available anytime and anyplace.

There will no longer be worries about remembering on a Thursday the book that was needed for a Wednesday.

With the ability to take notes and link to websites with just a touch, iBooks 2 will soon become a popular trend within colleges.

The whole purpose of this application is for purchasing electronic books at a lower price, but in return you have to purchase an electronic device that may cost anywhere from $249 to $800. So are you really saving money?

Community colleges are undergoing budget cuts, and with that being said, schools will more than likely be unable to provide the electronic devices needed for iBooks 2.

While there are websites who either rent books for less or sell used copies at an even lower price range such as amazon.com and Chegg, studies show that buying an electronic textbook will still save you more money in the long run.

At the moment, students are able to explore their options and visit several websites in order to find a used book at a lower price rather than having to purchase an expensive new textbook.

Apple has made very popular products and it seems as though this application will definitely draw a lot of students toward using the tablet for a cooler, trendier, easier and greener way to get textbooks.

The iBooks textbooks feature will make high school textbooks available first, ultimately expanding to almost every subject and grade level.

At the moment, Apple has content deals in place with major publishers including McGraw Hill, Pearson and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Just like with most of its products, the launch of Apple iBooks 2 application will make digital textbooks soar.