Thursday, 
Apple announced the release of iBooks2 and iBooks Author; new and free textbook reading and authoring tools. Apple also revealed a partnership to create and sell low cost interactive textbooks with the big three textbook publishers that account for 90% of the sales of textbooks to the first 13 grades of American schools, known as K-12. Finally, Apple expanded its iTunes U uni lecture series to the K-12 market. Missing from the announcement was any price break for the beleaguered American school system and that it was a closed Apple hardware only system. Also absent was the fact that if you create content with iBooks Author, you have to sell it in the Apple store.
Apple has not indicated any similar arrangement with UK publishers, but as I mention here, that may not be Apple's scheme in any case. Stay tuned, there may be a bit more to this story as it plays out.