iTunes U Downloads Top 300 Million

[MacRumors]

Apple announced this morning that the iTunes U service has topped 300 million downloads in the three years of its existence.

"iTunes U makes it easy for people to discover and learn with content from many of the world's top institutions," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet Services. "With such a wide selection of educational material, we’re providing iTunes users with an incredible way to learn on their computer, iPhone, iPod or iPad."

iTunes U allows over 800 universities to distribute educational content privately or publicly. Over half of the participating universities are said to distribute their content publicly.

Participating universities include MIT, Harvard, Columbia, and many more (iTunes links). All iTunes U content is free to download and now hosts over 350,000 audio and video files.

Article Link: iTunes U Downloads Top 300 Million

 

[iDisk]

Congrats?

Arn I understand this is a big achievement but what does this tell us? We're already aware of the billions of downloads on iTunes music and that would eventually lead to more of the iTunes services downloads achieving such accomplishments. sorta like a digital download "halo" effect. This 300m mark was inevitable IMO wouldn't you agree?

 

[LPZ]

An apostrophe is missing from the quote on https://www.macrumors.com/. It should be "world's" not "worlds".

 

[alex.sebenski]

Their back to school program is probably hitting it's stride just as school is starting back up. A PR announcement like this is just an attempt at event marketing.

"Go buy a mac for your kid before they go to university so they can be smart and stuff."

 

[Chintan100]

Page 2

 

[iDisk]

Their back to school program is probably hitting it's stride just as school is starting back up. A PR announcement like this is just an attempt at event marketing.

"Go buy a mac for your kid before they go to university so they can be smart and stuff."

Good observation, I never thought of that.

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Agreed

 

[69650]

iTunes U is fantastic, especially The Open University section. I wonder how long it will be before universities start offering full degree courses via iTunes U.

 

[Glideslope]

Their back to school program is probably hitting it's stride just as school is starting back up. A PR announcement like this is just an attempt at event marketing.

"Go buy a mac for your kid before they go to university so they can be smart and stuff."

Well, it's working. I have never seen lines like this year in all the years my local Apple Store opened. It was one of the first, and employs the failed Mini-Store concept. They have done an extremely good job expanding the store out into the hallways and food court. Kind of nuts, but cool to watch.

There must be a MB or 13" MBP going out the door every 5 min. Not seeing as many 15" or 17". Everywhere you look a one to one session is going on. It's amazing to watch the choreography.

I've been a Mac Evangelist since 1992. I've never seen Notebook sales like this back to school season.

+1

 

[dscuber9000]

I actually really like iTunes U. The Stanford thing teaching iPhone programming has been very helpful! Unfortunately, the school I go to doesn't offer any kind of iPhone programming class, so I'm very thankful for iTunes U.

Speaking of college and Apple, I never realized how big Apple was with college students. It seems like almost everyone has a MacBook and iPhone, and I see Apple stickers all over the place.

 

[0098386]

Love the service. Recently found a talk given by Armando Iannucci to some politics (I believe) students that was superb. Edutainment!

 

[elppa]

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Bad idea, it's still Apple's best kept secret. As many people should know about iTunes U as possible.

 

[NebulaClash]

This is an unalloyed good in the world. To make available some of the best lectures anywhere is wonderful. Not everyone gets a chance to go to these universities, but now just about anyone can listen and learn. The commuter on the train or in the car can listen to philosophy lectures. The farmer in the tractor can be studying statistics. The teenager walking to school can listen to business theory. Some kid can watch an astronomy lecture and be inspired.

Never before in human history has so much knowledge been available to the masses. This is a very good thing. Who knows what Mozart-in-the-rough will now be reached who otherwise might have spent a lifetime in relative ignorance through the circumstances of his or her birth?

 

[gnasher729]

Congrats?

Arn I understand this is a big achievement but what does this tell us? We're already aware of the billions of downloads on iTunes music and that would eventually lead to more of the iTunes services downloads achieving such accomplishments. sorta like a digital download "halo" effect. This 300m mark was inevitable IMO wouldn't you agree?

10 billion song downloads are nice for the artists, probably more for their record companies. 300 million iTunes U downloads are a big step forward in education. If they could just convince UK universities to put actual useful contents on there for people who want to learn instead of stupid five minute soundbites.

 

[Silverfist]

Gotta love the voting...

"Free education from top colleges?! That's *great!*

"Oh, wait -- Apple's involved? I'm voting 'negative.'..."

.

 

[sparkrulez]

"Go buy a mac for your kid before they go to university so they can be smart and stuff."

I never thought of it that way. I really think you're right.

 

[gorgeousninja]

Their back to school program is probably hitting it's stride just as school is starting back up. A PR announcement like this is just an attempt at event marketing.

"Go buy a mac for your kid before they go to university so they can be smart and stuff."

Gosh yeah! You must be right, it's that damn Steve Jobs with his subliminal advertising out to ruin the world, and can't possibly be that iTunes U actually reached 300 million downloads...thanks Sherlock for saving us...

 

[jntdigital]

There is a great iphone dev course on Itunes U. and also learned alot on patents. Go iTunes U!

 

[Erwin-Br]

iTunes U is simply awesome. I've been following a number of courses on it, including Stanford's Programming Methodology classes.

 

[Erwin-Br]

Congrats?

Arn I understand this is a big achievement but what does this tell us? We're already aware of the billions of downloads on iTunes music

Don't be a smartass, and please speak for yourself. Not everybody might be aware of iTunes U, and I don't see what music has to do with this in the first place.

 

[Wayfarer]

I just downloaded content from iTunes U the other day. It's given me a great advantage in helping me prepare for my college classes. Yay!

Anyone who voted this negative deserves to be castrated... with a pineapple.

 

[Saladinos]

People who don't use iTunes U dismiss it very quickly. People who have used it love it.

IMO, iTunes U is a jewel of the internet. It's like Wikipedia, but better because you have actual teachers and lecturers from world-class institutions teaching you for free. I've recently been taking a computer science course from MIT to formalise my knowledge a bit, and learn new concepts around algorithms, etc. As a recent graduate (not from MIT), I'm really impressed by the quality - they're actual, real lectures that I paid thousands to attend. That I just took an MIT course for free is an absolute bargain.

Apple should open the service up a bit. In the developing world, lots of these OLPC projects use linux, which means they can't access iTunes U. Apple could do a lot of good by opening this service up to the developing world a little more, where top quality educational materials are hard to come by.

I remember Bill Gates talking about how he uses online university programmes to learn about all kinds of topics, and how he sees that as one of the biggest ways technology can make a difference in the developing world. Apple arguably has the best collection of those programmes of anybody, and they could really turn it in to an amazing asset very cheaply.

 

[L. Ron Hoover]

The Leonard Susskind physics lectures from Stanford are great. Highly recommended. Also available on Youtube, but the iPhone experience is much better when downloaded and sync'd vs. trying to watch via YT.

 

[DMann]

Don't be a smartass, and please speak for yourself. Not everybody might be aware of iTunes U, and I don't see what music has to do with this in the first place.

I imagine that for many people, the 'U' part was glanced over.

Regardless, this is great news for education, all around.

 

[iDisk]

Don't be a smartass, and please speak for yourself. Not everybody might be aware of iTunes U, and I don't see what music has to do with this in the first place.

iTUNES ORIGINATED WITH MUSIC, THATS HOW APPLE EVEN MADE IN-ROADS INTO ANYTHING DIGITAL... FROM THERE IT LED TO TV SHOWS AND MOVIES AND THEN PODCASTING AND FINALLY ITUNES U .... "U" NEED TO LOOSE THE ATTITUDE CAUSE I WASNT TALKING TO YOU NOT ONE BIT, NOR WAS MY POST ENTIRELY ABOUT MUSIC I WAS MAKING AN OBSERVATION YOU CRETIN.

I ASKED THE EDITOR OF THE ARTICLE A QUESTION NOT "ERWIN" NOT TO MENTION YOU CLEARLY DIDNT UNDERSTAND MY QUESTION

PEACE KID

 

[Splen]

Well I for one think this is great news. I've got a soft spot for iTunes U as it is in no small part responsible for the fact that, at age 32, I start studying for a BA in a month or so.