UNDATED (CNN) -- It seems you can get almost everything on the latest tablet devices such as music, movies, books and games. But now, Apple is exploring a new frontier by taking textbooks digital.
Heavy backpacks may be a thing of the past if you can afford an iPad. Apple launched "iTunesU" in New York Thursday.
It's a fully integrated app that allows users to buy and download textbooks right to their iPads. Teachers can also create lesson plans, offer full online courses and additional information for students to follow.
And the app has room for note taking, links to external study materials and allows users to connect with other students.
Textbooks are a big business. The American Association of Publishers says textbooks generated $4.5 billion in sales during 2010 and that's just for college classes. Some estimates say the total could top $8 billion.
If textbooks are available on the iPad more people may buy the devices. But it's not a new idea. There is competition in the market for e-textbooks with companies such as Inkling, Know, Course-Smart, Vital-Source already having a digital reach. And some also have iPad apps.
According to one analyst though, the key is building up a big catalog. CNN say that happen with music when Apple made iTunes a leading source for buying digital music.
Doing that with textbooks would require Apple to get publishers to jump on the bandwagon. The company has certainly had success with those types of negotiations in the past and most recently in setting up rights for the iCloud.