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Over 350,000 textbooks were downloaded from Apple’s iBookstore in just 3 days

Monday, January 23, 2012 · 8:39 am · 21 Comments

“If you thought that there would be little interest in an Apple event that didn’t include new hardware, then think again,” Killian Bell reports for Cult of Mac.

“Following the unveiling of iBooks 2 with support for textbooks last week, Apple saw an incredible 350,000 textbook downloads in just three days of availability,” Bell reports. “That’s according to Global Equities Research, which uses a tracking system to monitor Apple’s iBook sales.”

Bell reports, “The company has also revealed that iBooks Author, Apple’s new tool for OS X Lion that allows aspiring authors to create their own iBooks, was downloaded 90,000 times from the Mac App Store… These figures (if accurate) would suggest iBooks 2 and digital textbooks are off to a flying start.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Off to the races!

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Lava_Head_UK" for the heads up.]

Categories: News

Tags: Global Equities Research, iBooks 2, iBooks Author, iBookstore, textbooks

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Comment Feed

21 Comments

JB

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 8:47 am · Reply

Yep, I downloaded both. I experienced some crashes with the textbook I downloaded, and I hope that gets resolved. I’m using my iPad 1 because it has more memory than my iPad 2; so perhaps it’s a hardware issue. The next iPad I’ll buy will have more memory.
- FFS
  
  Monday, January 23, 2012 - 9:07 am · Reply
  
  I read you needed the iPad 2 for full functionality…let us know if you get them running ok.
  - Arnold Ziffel
    
    Monday, January 23, 2012 - 9:18 am · Reply
    
    I downloaded the biology text, Life on Earth to my iPad 1, and it works well with full functionality.
krquet

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 9:00 am · Reply

A few of them, not insignificantly though, have been downloaded by the photocopy “artists” around the world.
alen

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 9:03 am · Reply

free
i download everything free. i have keyword alerts set up on some deals sites and download a few apps/games daily. i’m at over 2200 apps right now.
- Spark
  
  Monday, January 23, 2012 - 11:01 am · Reply
  
  Why would you waste disk space or the time to review? Are the few jewels you find worth the effort?
  - janeshepard
    
    Monday, January 23, 2012 - 2:11 pm · Reply
    
    Sounds like an example of “hoarding” behaviour
breeze

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 9:17 am · Reply

FUDMEISTERS:

This train CANNOT be stoped. The people love it.
- Apple Turnover
  
  Monday, January 23, 2012 - 10:05 am · Reply
  
  It has nothing to do with what the people or consumers love. There are factions out there that certainly do not have the consumers’ best interest at heart. It’s a platform power struggle that is trying to stifle whatever Apple is attempting to change in the industry. Many claim that Microsoft or Google would be able to do a much better job than Apple because they can provide a textbook platform for education that will be much less expensive than Apple’s offerings. This has nothing to do with education as concerned to what students or teachers want. They want open bidding on hardware to save costs which they claim can spread the change to digital textbooks quicker.
  
  Apple is building a digital textbook platform which is for their own hardware and the people in power hate that idea. Their idea has to do with moving $200 Android tablets and that’s about it.
  - breeze
    
    Monday, January 23, 2012 - 10:51 am · Reply
    
    “It’s a platform power struggle that is trying to stifle whatever Apple is attempting to change in the industry.”
    
    To stiffle and to stop the Apple runnaway train…Tha aint gonna happen. Apple is today’s undisputed reigning champion and has mass appeal.
    
    The only way the industry to get back in the game for the rest of the industry is to innovate. All the efforts to derail Apple with FUD and sheis are for naught.
  - Tessellator
    
    Monday, January 23, 2012 - 11:46 am · Reply
    
    Mmm… One point, that Apple equipment is more expensive or that MS or Gooooogle would do a better job. Except it is obvious to everyone that they can’t.
    
    It has been shown again and again that the so called “open” brands simply can’t compete with apple on price, even when “incentives” are involved. Not on “ultrabooks” not on desktop computers and not on tablets. Apple is one of the most (or- the most-) efficient manufacturers out there and the best value for the money.
    
    What they won’t do is make half working crap, for cheap. But that isn’t what people really want, is it?
Jeff W

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 9:53 am · Reply

I wonder if the text download counts are real sales, or if they include free partial book downloads to just try out the new technology. I’m not being skeptical. I want this to succeed. I just don’t want to see Apple doctor its sales numbers the way its competitors seem to do.
- abcd
  
  Monday, January 23, 2012 - 10:22 am · Reply
  
  Apple ALWAYS talks about units “sold” unlike the way its competitors do. And if you think otherwise, check out the jump in stock price now that anal-ysts understand iBooks Author. This is huge!
Jean Poole

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 10:13 am · Reply

‘ I just don’t want to see Apple doctor its sales numbers the way its competitors seem to do.’

Free loads are not sales.
JR

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 10:20 am · Reply

Why don’t you write a factual story instead of one that is based on supposition? How many of these were PAID downloads and by those who actually would benefit from this and HOW MANY WERE FREE downloads from fanboys curious to see what it is and will NEVER BUY A TEXTBOOK in the future? Typical bloggers – again adopt journalistic ethics before reporting rumors and half truths.
- Predrag
  
  Monday, January 23, 2012 - 10:50 am · Reply
  
  ?????
  
  The story reports facts: 350,000 textbooks were downloaded (that’s DOWNLOADED) over the weekend. It also states that iBook Author software was downloaded 90,000 times. Nowhere does it imply sales (or revenue). In fact, it actually talks about interest in platform, which is, judging by the sheer number of downloads (once again, not necessarily sales) massive.
  
  The article goes on to say that, as platform seems to be immensely attractive to the general public, garnering so many downloads over so few days, it is clearly extremely attractive to the publishers as well. It then talks about the printed books’ supply channel markup (which is 30-35%), plus the fact that digital books get sold directly to students (each year, new generation of kids gets them all over again), whereas physical books went to schools, which kept them for 4 – 5 years. Suddenly, that $15 retail price ends up netting the publisher more than the old $70 price for a physical copy.
- bluefinpro
  
  Monday, January 23, 2012 - 12:07 pm · Reply
  
  JR, part of the shift towards this method, is that this iBooks Author allows Content creators (like teachers, etc) to write textbooks that can be downloaded for FREE if the teacher so wants.
  
  Just because something is free, does not make it not valuable, any more than something that costs money is worth more.
Michael

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 10:40 am · Reply

Um, the report specifically says downloads. Whether they were free or actual sales it does not matter, the report is demonstrating that there was interest even if it was just from fanboys, which I’m sure some were. But I’d also be willing to bet that a lot of people interested in adopting something like this were curious to see what exactly was being offered.
auren

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 12:08 pm · Reply

Is it just Apple or are other large companies subjected to the the level of microscopic observation, both pro and con ?
Don’t gete wrong, I love the debates and have been following them since 1996 when I bought my first Mac. But I’d honestly like to know if MS or Google, etc etc get anywhere near the level of observation, analysis, debate, argument, vitriol… that Apple does.
- janeshepard
  
  Monday, January 23, 2012 - 2:20 pm · Reply
  
  I can say this with some assurance: for quite some time, in the tech press, Apple tends to get slammed; Microsoft tends to get a free pass; Google tends to be a darling little ruffian; RiM tends to circle the drain.
notAlen

Monday, January 23, 2012 - 8:49 pm · Reply

Here is Alen in action:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/theoatmeal-img/comics/computers/5.png