Apple to hold education-focused event on March 27 in Chicago

Apple has been developing a revamped strategy for electronic books with a new iBooks application.

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Apple is seen at a store in Zurich, Switzerland November 22, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann (REUTERS)

Apple will make an education-focused announcement at a Chicago high school on March 27.

The iPhone maker typically holds its product announcements in California, at its campus in Cupertino, or at nearby convention centers, making this an unusual event. Its last education-related event took place in New York City in 2012.

The company said in an invitation Friday that it will share "creative new ideas for teachers and students" at the affair, which will take place at Lane Tech College Prep High School.

Currently, Apple offers a slew of services aimed at schools, including an app called Classroom for managing classwork, iTunes U for viewing recorded lessons from a number of colleges, Swift Playgrounds for learning how to code, and iBooks Author for designing books.

The company has been developing a revamped strategy for electronic books with a new iBooks application, Bloomberg has reported.

The hardware maker also sometimes introduces new iPads, which it positions toward education, in March.

Last year, Apple released cheaper iPads, which are easier to sell in bulk to schools and more affordable for students. It's possible that Apple could update the line at this event.