350,000 Textbooks Sold Through iBooks Already

[Phillip Swanson]

Apple’s attempt at changing the high school and college textbook landscape is gaining steam already with 350,000 textbooks downloaded in the past three days through iBooks.

Global Equities Research (GER) came up with the 350,000 textbooks sold using the companies proprietary tracking software as Apple tends not to release sales figures outside of official announcements and earnings reports. GER claims 90,000 users downloaded Apple’s iBook Author textbook creation tool during the same period.

While the numbers are far from concrete, Apple’s textbook platform appears to be off to a fast start. Particularly encouraging are the number of downloads of the iBooks authoring tool. If Apple can generate a great deal of high-quality content it will only help strengthen their stance in the textbook market.

Apple’s publishing partners will most likely be the biggest beneficiaries of Apple's new textbook ecosystem (outside of Apple), even though students will save money (after the iDevice investment) as well. Under Apple’s system students will purchase books directly from publishers through iBooks, use them for a year and then purchase new books instead schools purchasing textbooks and retaining and reusing books for as long as five years (talking about high schools).

Likewise publishers will benefit from selling new copies of books each semester to students eliminating the used-book market from Universities which publishers see zero cash from. Student’s will care less too as $15 books look a lot better than purchasing a $200 book and selling it back for $70.

I’m failing to see the downside of cheaper interactive textbooks, aside from possibly getting distracted by the plethora of applications on my iPad.

Source: AllThingsD

[fatalcrixer]

Wow

[The6uest]

Wow is right! This almost makes me want to go back to school! Maybe later when more college books are available I'll go back for my masters..

Apple needs to increase the amount of space on the iPads though with 32gb being the minimum and going up to 128gb or so because the books are 1 to 1.5gb or more. With just 5 classes you could eat up over 7gb.

[unison999]

Wow

There is 1 book that is free in there, bet just about all books "sold" is that free book.
I for one "bought" this book because I was curious on how this works, it is interesting but I already know all it had to teach so did read that much of the book(I am Biological Engineer).

[punjabi212]

Thank god this is my last semester before I graduate. I don't like the idea of digital textbooks. I'm not saying it sucks because I've never done it, but I'm glad I'll never have the need to.

[vindutch]

I just don't understand how kids are allowed to use an iPad for textbooks.? Couldn't they just use Google or Safari to look up the answers?

[leopodie]

I just don't understand how kids are allowed to use an iPad for textbooks.? Couldn't they just use Google or Safari to look up the answers?

well they're obviously not gonna be used at tests, but tbh who cares if a kid looks something up in class if they dont know the answers? they probs already do it with thier smartphone or just do nothing.

[vindutch]

well they're obviously not gonna be used at tests, but tbh who cares if a kid looks something up in class if they dont know the answers? they probs already do it with thier smartphone or just do nothing.

Very True!

[AUZambo]

I just don't understand how kids are allowed to use an iPad for textbooks.? Couldn't they just use Google or Safari to look up the answers?

As a math teacher, I kinda wish some of my students would show enough desire to look up the answers.

[The6uest]

As a math teacher, I kinda wish some of my students would show enough desire to look up the answers.

And as a math teacher, what do you think about textbooks on the iPad? Math books in particular.

[vindutch]

As a math teacher, I kinda wish some of my students would show enough desire to look up the answers.

Wow!, I can't believe the kids these days are even too lazy to look up the answers. I would of loved to have been able to do that when i was in school.

[realism]

Saw this coming right after the 1st iPad was released. Nothing but a good idea kept hidden finally seeing the light of day. This could be the most powerful educational tool yet. There are many advantages like pictures, videos, and 3d modeling that can be used to enhance the way people learn.

[AUZambo]

And as a math teacher, what do you think about textbooks on the iPad? Math books in particular.

I think it'd be awesome. I love technology and readily embrace it in my classroom. It's a shame we have a bunch of old fuddy-duds who want to teach like it's 1960 and refuse to let kids use even basic things like calculators.

I teach precal and calculus. In precal I don't see a tablet textbook making a huge difference other than being light and easier to use. In calculus, however, it can be a game changer. Calculus in short is the study of objects and situations as they move and change. To have an interactive textbook where you can actually see the things changing would be freakin' sweet.

Wow!, I can't believe the kids these days are even too lazy to look up the answers. I would of loved to have been able to do that when i was in school.

Actually, the majority of my kids are pretty solid (I teach the top students in the school), but I do have a few who are complete lazy butts and would actually do better putting college off for a year or two so they can get some sense of responsibility.

[unison999]

well they're obviously not gonna be used at tests, but tbh who cares if a kid looks something up in class if they dont know the answers? they probs already do it with thier smartphone or just do nothing.

If they had to look up answers that is not in their iBooks2 text books, then the author for that text book sucks and they need to go back to print books. To me if they are looking up something basically it means they are using it for cheating/entertainment, because the best person to ask is in front of the room.

[cmwade77]

Here's the problem, this will cost High Schools more money over time than traditional books, as they are required to provide the books for free to the students, which means they will have to purchase the iDevice for the students, the purchase the books each year as well.

What's the incentive?

[Phillip Swanson]

Here's the problem, this will cost High Schools more money over time than traditional books, as they are required to provide the books for free to the students, which means they will have to purchase the iDevice for the students, the purchase the books each year as well.

What's the incentive?

The incentive is a more effective and engaging learning tool. School Districts in my area (southwest Michigan) like Zeeland have passed district wide initiatives and subsequent millages to pay for an iPad for every student in the next five years. This doesn't mean the students get to keep the iPads after they leave school, but they get to keep it while going through school. Since schools graduate kids each year a finite number of iPads are needed.

Florida even has an iPad pilot program running in a number of schools, and pending the results will have a state wide 1 to 1 program for the iPad....