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Apple announces special event, speculation begins

Apple has officially sent out invitations for media outlets to attend the Apple event to be hosted in New York on January 19th.
Written by Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer

Apple has formally sent out invitations for the press to attend a "special event" being held in New York on January 19th.

Little is known about the secretive Apple event, apart from reports suggesting it will be education-focused. The venue has been officially released as the Guggenheim Museum.

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Reports speculate that the specific developments to be announced at the event, with suggestions that it may involve textbook initiatives or potentially further development of iTunes U, the Apple system for classroom content distribution, currently available to iPhone and iPod Touch users.

The announcement is not thought to be hardware related, effectively ruling out an announcement for the upcoming and long-awaited iPhone 5 and the iPad 3.

It is well-known that Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs wanted to 'disrupt' the publishing industry. Hidden within the depths of Walter Issacson's autobiography, a particular excerpt read:

"If textbooks were given away free on iPads he thought the publishers could get around the state certification of textbooks. Mr. Isaacson said Mr. Jobs believed that states would struggle with a weak economy for at least a decade. “We can give them an opportunity to circumvent that whole process and save money,” he told Mr. Isaacson."

The location itself is a hint that steers speculation towards to the publishing industry. Technological announcements are generally reserved for Silicon Valley, whereas New York is a well-known hotspot for the textbook industry.

Rumours suggest that Apple is planning to use the event to promote possible development of educational content for iProducts, or a move to enter the e-book industry with a splash.

A move from Apple to disrupt publishing could spell disaster for those currently in the industry. According to reports, the event has been planned for some time, with the late Steve Jobs heavily involved in what is to be announced.

Image source: Apple.

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