“His tech start-up, Inkling, is introducing its first four full-length interactive college textbooks using its software platform, which is designed specifically for Apple’s iPad—a marked departure from e-textbooks that are almost entirely just text that has been digitized. Inkling is one of a number of companies helping textbook publishers rethink their titles for the iPad, eager to exploit its color, video, and touch-screen capabilities,” Trachtenberg reports. “The four digital titles— McGraw-Hill Cos. best sellers in biology, economics, marketing, psychology—are expected to become available via the iTunes App Store beginning Friday. Prices will start at $2.99 per chapter and $69.99 for entire books, for a limited time. Thereafter, chapters will be $3.99 and books will start at $84.99.”
“Inkling has struck deals with other large publishers, including John Wiley & Sons Inc. and Cengage Learning, to launch future titles,” Trachtenberg reports. “It’s unclear whether students and their parents will want to fork out $499 to buy an iPad on top of other college expenses.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, they will; don’t worry about that.
Trachtenberg continues, “Vineet Madan, head of McGraw-Hill’s Learning Ecosystems group, said Mr. MacInnis’s biggest challenge will be persuading colleges and universities to embrace the iPad. But he says he’s already seeing some movement in that direction. Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa., for example, is giving iPads to 1,800 students this fall.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "brandon" for the heads up.]
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