Apple’s education event: iBooks 2, iBooks Author, textbooks in digital book store

10:31 a.m.: iBooks 2 is also free, today from the Mac App Store.

10:32 a.m.: They’re making textbooks available for every subject, high school texts for $14.99 or less each, McCracken reports.

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 Apple is known for having many successful product launches. But it had some unsuccessful ones too.

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A look back: Ten years ago, Apple chose Tysons Corner mall as the location for its first retail store. The establishment of these bricks-and-mortar outlets set in motion the company’s transformation from struggling innovator to technology juggernaut.

10:33 a.m.: Aha! Apple’s been working with "Pearson, McGraw Hill, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,” Stern reports, to get the books available on the iPad.

10:35 a.m.: Those companies reportedly have 90 percent of the textbook market; McGraw Hill making Algebra 1, Biology, Chemistry, Geometry, Physics,available today, CNET reports. These books are already used by 3 million students. Pearson making two texts used by 4 million students available today.

10:37 a.m.: Apple’s launching a new book, Life On Earth,from E.O. Wilson, through the store today. A few chapters are avilable now for free, with the option to purchase more as they are completed.

10:40 a.m.: Apple now showing a video with teachers saying that they are frustrated by outdated textbooks, Stern reports.

10:42 a.m.: Publishing execs praise Apple’s efforts in video, saying that this will engage children, CNET reports.

10:45 a.m.: Apple’s Eddy Cue, SVP of Internet Software and Services, takes the stage to talk about iTunes U, McCracken reports. He says there have been 700,000,000 downloads so far; the majority are lectures.

10:48 a.m.: Apple’s introducing an iTunes U app that lets teachers put syllabi and other materials on an iPad app.

10:50 a.m.: Can show streaming lectures, video, as well as course materials, readings, assignment tracking, etc., CNET reports.

10:53 a.m.: Duke, Stanford, Yale, MIT and two others have already had access to the courses, and created over 100 courses on it. Opening up for K-12 schools as well, Stern reports.

10:54 a.m.: iTunes U app is free today from the App Store.

10:55 a.m.: You can download the app from the store today.

`10:56 a.m.: Stern reports Cue says, “We hope that educators are going to look back on today's announcements as fondly as our earlier work.”

10:58 a.m.: And that’s a wrap. If you’re curious about how Apple may make iPads affordable for schools and students, check out Washington Post reporter Cecilia Kang’s story on the company’s lobbying push with state governments and school districts to get the tablets into classrooms.