Apple and McGraw-Hill Reportedly Collaborating on e-Textbook Tablet Offerings

[MacRumors]

BusinessWeek reports that Apple has been in talks with the educational arm of publishing giant McGraw-Hill to bring e-textbook content to Apple's tablet device. The discussions also reportedly include portions of McGraw-Hill's Connect online learning system.

Apple's talks with McGraw-Hill cover how the two companies can market textbooks for the tablet and ways their software development teams can collaborate to publish digital textbooks and educational content on Apple's latest device, two people say. "The talks are as much about marketing as they are about software development," says one of the people involved in the discussions.

According to the report, Apple and McGraw-Hill have held extended discussions for about a year, supporting earlier claims that McGraw-Hill had been actively working to bring its content into the iTunes ecosystem. McGraw-Hill is also one of the partner's in CourseSmart, an e-textbook company that has already brought thousands of titles to the iPhone and iPod touch and has envisioned how its offerings might work on a concept Apple tablet.

McGraw-Hill's Connect, which apparently developed out of the collaboration with Apple regarding e-textbooks, offers professors a convenient means to manage electronic homework assignments and testing while offering students the ability to watch video, read textbook materials, and complete assignments.

McGraw-Hill is certainly not the only publishing company talking to Apple about tablet possibilities, as the report notes that both Hachette and Wiley have been in discussions, and a report earlier this week claimed that HarperCollins was also participating in negotiations.

Article Link: Apple and McGraw-Hill Reportedly Collaborating on e-Textbook Tablet Offerings

 

[iGod 2.0]

I would love for this to happen

Definitely hoping that this deal falls through. This will make not only the tablet a cherished device in the education system, but also any device that runs iPhone OS, including the iPod touch and the iPhone.

 

[miles01110]

I'd never buy an etextbook. Tablet crashes -> you're screwed.

 

[thewireman]

I'd never buy an etextbook. Tablet crashes -> you're screwed.

Thats why you always back up.

 

[the-oz-man]

This makes me want to go back to school for more education!

 

[miles01110]

Thats why you always back up.

A backup doesn't help you when your tablet is bricked.

 

[dwd3885]

yea right. how are you going to back it up and view the ebook on your mac or pc? Also, so you're going to have to spend $1000 on a device that will allow you to spend $200 on a book? No Thanks! What if someone wants to borrow your book?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Definitely hoping that this deal falls through. This will make not only the tablet a cherished device in the education system, but also any device that runs iPhone OS, including the iPod touch and the iPhone.

I think you mean you hope the deal does not fall through? When a deal "falls through" it means "no deal."

 

[dasein]

Digging their own graves

These companies are digging their own graves...not that they have a choice. Look what the iPod paradigm did to the RIAA crowd. iPhone Apps can be written by anyone willing to learn and get in touch with a market. What this all indicates is the days of the big business gatekeeper model for media is closing. Indie developers, whether musicians, video artists, or now information brokers, will have DIRECT access to the markets...who needs McGraw-Hill? for what? Once the SDK is in place, I think you'll see an explosion over the next few years of Indie style content providers. Content vetting aside, Gutenberg II.

 

[grayskies]

I believe this use has huge potential for Apple.

A lot of books are digital already and offered online, in tandem with
online homework programs.

- MyMathlab, MyEconlab comes to mind

The book publishers greediness is only exceeded by record labels.

They are trying all kinds of ways to get money for books and stop the used-book market.

 

[scubasteve03]

wrong

yea right. how are you going to back it up and view the ebook on your mac or pc? Also, so you're going to have to spend $1000 on a device that will allow you to spend $200 on a book? No Thanks! What if someone wants to borrow your book?

Yea, who is going to buy a DVD PLAYER? You're going to have to spend $400 on it and $30 on a just one DVD. VHS is so much cheaper.
And no, it's not going to cost $200 on a book. My wife is finishing med school and she has yet to pay $200 on one book. Plus if they follow amazon's pricing structure, it going to much cheaper than a physical book.
Also there is a possibility of the Book publisher offering a digital copy with the book. Its not all doom and gloom as you think. I think they can pull it off.

 

[talmy]

The economics of these e-Textbooks are skewed badly against the student. The appear inexpensive but most of them expire at the end of the term and cannot be transferred or sold. Basically you are renting the book. And in this case you are also having to buy an expensive reader. Under the traditional printed textbook model you can save money buying used, you can keep the book if it is a "keeper" with good reference value or you can sell it to another student. This cost is typically much less than the e-Textbook. The only advantage to the student is they can carry all their books around with them without getting back injuries.

For the publisher it is a win. Very small cost for "printing" and distribution. No warehousing. Elimination of profit-stealing resale market.

Disclaimer -- I've written an e-Textbook which I've self-published and have been selling for six years. It's browser based (so runs on virtually every computer) and has no DRM. I'm not the only self-publishing textbook author out there. Traditional textbook publishers are about as archaic as music publishers.

 

[cmaier]

Publishers will only discount the ebooks enough to make sure they kill the used book market. Ebooks allow them to make money each year from every student. This is the same industry that purposely makes tiny changes to books as often as possible to eliminate demand for last year's used version. They're not suddenly going to get all charitable.

 

[dwd3885]

Yea, who is going to buy a DVD PLAYER? You're going to have to spend $400 on it and $30 on a just one DVD. VHS is so much cheaper.
And no, it's not going to cost $200 on a book. My wife is finishing med school and she has yet to pay $200 on one book. Plus if they follow amazon's pricing structure, it going to much cheaper than a physical book.
Also there is a possibility of the Book publisher offering a digital copy with the book. Its not all doom and gloom as you think. I think they can pull it off.

have fun studying at the library and then your tablet's battery dies. UH OH!

 

[Wayfarer]

Hush, EVERYONE!

This alleged "Tablet" is merely an imaginary product.

 

[mekopolis]

Yea, who is going to buy a DVD PLAYER? You're going to have to spend $400 on it and $30 on a just one DVD. VHS is so much cheaper.
And no, it's not going to cost $200 on a book. My wife is finishing med school and she has yet to pay $200 on one book. Plus if they follow amazon's pricing structure, it going to much cheaper than a physical book.
Also there is a possibility of the Book publisher offering a digital copy with the book. Its not all doom and gloom as you think. I think they can pull it off.

what med school is she going to? I can think of one or two books off the top of my mind that are at least $600

maybe she borrowed off of someone else who bought that book

I just finished grad school for international business, and i concur that i did not pay over $200 for a single book, but they do add up, quickly

I agree that the text book industry is a Joke, and a waste of money

 

[Cander]

Publishers will only discount the ebooks enough to make sure they kill the used book market. Ebooks allow them to make money each year from every student. This is the same industry that purposely makes tiny changes to books as often as possible to eliminate demand for last year's used version. They're not suddenly going to get all charitable.

And don't forget the likely addition of DRM to prevent resale or trade of any kind.

 

[cmaier]

Unlike other books, a textbook is itself a tool, not merely a collection of content. You fill it with notes, tab the pages, learn to open to specific pages by muscle memory... You use the impressive ones to look important at the coffee shop, and you save the useful ones for when you start your career.

You stay in shape by lugging them around.

In short - they are tools that do their job well.

I don't see an etextbook making a decent substitute.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

I'm open to eTexts - but ONLY if i own the book... i'm not renting unless it is WAYYYY cheaper.

 

[MisterMe]

These companies are digging their own graves...not that they have a choice. Look what the iPod paradigm did to the RIAA crowd. iPhone Apps can be written by anyone willing to learn and get in touch with a market. What this all indicates is the days of the big business gatekeeper model for media is closing. Indie developers, whether musicians, video artists, or now information brokers, will have DIRECT access to the markets...who needs McGraw-Hill? for what? Once the SDK is in place, I think you'll see an explosion over the next few years of Indie style content providers. Content vetting aside, Gutenberg II.

This is not the bullet that will kill the big publishers; it is the oxygen that will save them. There has already been enormous contraction in the industry. AFAIK, then there are only about one or two mainline textbook publishers left from my college days.

You are correct that this technology [properly applied] dramatically lowers the barrier to market. However, you can't just go to your office and bang out a new textbook on your Mac. This is particularly true in freshman and sophomore level courses. Textbook development is an involved process involving co-authors, editors, advisory panels, and many, many more. For K-12, you have to pass muster at other levels. State textbook adoption agencies play a huge role.

This technology stands to dramatically improve the process. However, its truly huge impact will come in supplementary materials. K-12 and university instructors will find it much easier to produce and distribute custom materials for their classes.

 

[pmalos]

I'd never buy an etextbook. Tablet crashes -> you're screwed.

I'd never buy a physical textbook. Lose your backpack -> you're screwed.

 

[theydonotmove]

this is silly

I can't understand why people would want to pay thousands of dollars to make an already simple activity (such as opening a book) into a complicated one.

If teachers can't get students interested in a subject base on the merits of the subject itself, then a fancy tablet computer isn't going to do it either.

textbooks don't crash, and when you lose it, you haven't lost a 1,000 dollar device that your school has to replace.

 

[jsbaugh]

Most people will buy the Tablet for other things than just e textbooks. I wish I had that option 15 years ago and so what if you don't own the ebook. It expires when you are done with the class. Half the books I had I couldn't resell and if I could they were not worth much.
Give the tablet a year and most professors will be carrying one and recommending them to their students.

 

[grayskies]

The economics of these e-Textbooks are skewed badly against the student. The appear inexpensive but most of them expire at the end of the term and cannot be transferred or sold. Basically you are renting the book. And in this case you are also having to buy an expensive reader. Under the traditional printed textbook model you can save money buying used, you can keep the book if it is a "keeper" with good reference value or you can sell it to another student. This cost is typically much less than the e-Textbook. The only advantage to the student is they can carry all their books around with them without getting back injuries.

For the publisher it is a win. Very small cost for "printing" and distribution. No warehousing. Elimination of profit-stealing resale market.

Disclaimer -- I've written an e-Textbook which I've self-published and have been selling for six years. It's browser based (so runs on virtually every computer) and has no DRM. I'm not the only self-publishing textbook author out there. Traditional textbook publishers are about as archaic as music publishers.

-nail, hit on head

To add, this is why book contracts are often two years. The publisher won't make as much money with a lot of used books around.

" Hey it's time for our new and improved 700th edition "

 

[paradox00]

I can't understand why people would want to pay thousands of dollars to make an already simple activity (such as opening a book) into a complicated one.

If teachers can't get students interested in a subject base on the merits of the subject itself, then a fancy tablet computer isn't going to do it either.

textbooks don't crash, and when you lose it, you haven't lost a 1,000 dollar device that your school has to replace.

5-6 classes a day, a textbook for each, plus a couple binders and your back is screaming...