In many cases I think the textbook can be replaced by a different medium. A "textbook" to a student in an automotive class at a vocational school is an automotive manual. If the manual is available on the internet or cdrom with lookup/search capabilities isn't this more efficient than buying books? With the advent of numerous searchable geography tools - doesn't this resolve a problem we all face replacing social studies materials year after year?
In addition, many parents of middle and high school students and their doctors are complaining about the weight of books and backpacks as students cart material to/from/during school. If they can cart a laptop instead and access material from home via the internet or other media that weighs ounces instead of pounds we may also be able to address this problem. Using laptops as tools for access to material creates its own set of problems including how to pay for them. However, as I write this on my laptop on a commuter train in Boston I know the world our children will face is quite simply beyond our imagination. We must provide them with the skills and the tools we use as adults today in order to begin to prepare them to fulfill their own dreams.