More on Apple's Textbook Plans for Thursday's Media Event

I am hoping the iPad 2 gets a price drop to $399, at least for the educational market. This would put it in the hands of a lot more students, making it the default tablet for the edu market and helping Apple to regain dominance there.

Textbook publishers are making big bucks with locked-in markets, they're not going to give it up so easy. I'm prepared to be unimpressed -- yes, I know, too cynical.

Considering you can't sell used ebooks, I can see textbook publishers selling books for a bit less than hardcopies since your only option is to buy from them. I'm sure used hardcopies will be a better deal still but as new editions come out they might become harder and harder to find.

Uninformed Viewpoint

I have read numerous comments tagging the textbook publishers as the enemy - out to exploit students and "rip them off". I would like to first point out that students and institutions apparently choose to ignore the fact that college tuitions are escalating at a higher rate that textbooks and nobody seems to portray the colleges as the enemy.

Secondly, the reason that textbooks are so expensive in the first place is because of the used book market. Publishers are forced to increase cost to compensate for lower sell-through due to the availability of used texts. Costs to authors, production, research, distribution, etc. exist and when new editions account for such a small percentage of actual books sold, cost for the book must increase to cover production cost.

I don't understand how students are willing to pay thousands of dollars in tuition to go to a good school, but asking them to pay $150 for a quality textbook that helps prepare them for a career is out of the question. Instructors depend on these materials to stay informed, current and relevant - yet they are quick to throw the publishers of those books under the bus when students complain.

Students today have more options than ever before when it comes to purchasing options - ebooks, individual echapters, textbook rental, and innovative new formats focused on student demands.
It's easy to place the blame on the publishers, but do your homework before making such statements.

Just when I thought I could get away with getting all my books online and having them on my iPad . . .

3 of my profs said it's going to be a open book midterm and final, no electronic devices, meaning I have to actually buy the hardcover book
womp womp

:apple: + P

So use your iPad most of the time and check out a hard copy from the library for the exam. :)

Could be a problem if everyone moves to electronic textbooks. Imagine 30 students trying to check out the 3 copies from the library for the exam...

It's quite understandable that a networked electronic device wouldn't be allowed for an exam. Anyway, call me old fashionned, but I like having an actual paper book as a reference.

Defiantly looking forward to this. Text books are way overpriced, especially since 90% of college students taking classes are guaranteed sales. Spring quarter, if I don't have an iPad by then, I'm getting used books if I can (but, of course, they never have them used...)

Two years ago, I asked a textbook sales rep if his company about his company's plans for ebooks. What he told me was not encouraging. His ebooks would be sold at prices about 60% of the dead tree versions of the same books. The textbooks would not actually be sold. They would be effectively rented for one year. A student should purchase and keep all of his/her textbooks. It is understandable that a student does not keep textbooks for general education courses, but it is essential that textbooks in upper-level major courses are kept and used to start each student's library. According this sales rep, his company had no plans to allow ebooks to be used for more than one year even at a higher purchase price.

I hope that the Apple event addresses these and other issues.

Just when I thought I could get away with getting all my books online and having them on my iPad . . .

3 of my profs said it's going to be a open book midterm and final, no electronic devices, meaning I have to actually buy the hardcover book
womp womp

This had me wondering, does this open the floodgates for students to come up with more ways to cheat? Not to mention getting distracted in the classroom.

/meandering rant

I have students that sit in the back, open their laptops, and just work on homework from other classes all class long. Until, of course, I tell them to shut the device off.

I'm sure they hate me for it, but I don't like wasting my evenings answer their e-mail questions when I already went over it in class and they simply didn't pay attention.

/meandering rant off

I know that the iPad opens up some interesting ways to interact with content, but to be honest...I would be happy I could just have my regular textbooks optimised for a 9.7" screen. Right now none of my recommended books are available as ebooks. which is a shame. I think Apple has the clout to get some of the more stubborn publishers to offer up digital content.

I hate my textbooks, they are chunky, heavy, awkward to hold and need to be constantly propped up so the reading angle is right. The iPad will solve all these issues.

Also think about never having to wait for a textbook to come back in your school library. Or incurring massive fees for lateness. Both were issues when I was doing my degree, I ended up buying most of my book list which cost nearly £200...and I STILL had to lug the things around :mad:

My high school provides textbooks for us by lending them out. However, this means that we can't write in them and have to return them at the end of the year. It is awesome that we don't have to buy them but it makes life extremely difficult at the end of the school year when you have to run around school, returning textbooks to different teachers and having them sign a sheet of paper saying that you've returned everything (this happens during final exams so it is a bit hectic as teachers don't want to be bothered while grading exams and students are also busy).

What I am saying is that it would be really cool if Apple introduced some kind of a feature in iBooks where schools could 'lend out' books to students and then it would be very simple to return them. Also, the digital aspect would help because we would be able to write right in them.