Will the iPad Replace College Textbooks [Infographic]
The debate of whether or not the iPad and simliar tablets will ever completely replace college textbooks has been buzzing around the technology and education sectors over the past few years.
Proponents of digital textbooks hope that they will be more cost effective and will provide some physical relief to students as they are not nearly as heavy as traditional textbooks.
See Also: Digital Textbook Usage Statistics [Infographic]
The cost of one paperbound college textbook can, at times, approach $1000. Digital textbooks require an electronic reader such as an iPad or tablet that can also end up being rather costly to students.
In the long, the question remains, “Are digital textbooks more cost effective than traditional textbooks?”
To help answer this question an infographic (posted below) was recently published by WorldWideLearn.com that provides us with some comparative statistics on using the Apple iPad as a replacement for traditional text books.
Will the iPad Replace Textbooks Infographic Highlights:
- Textbooks make up an $8 billion market, E-Books only account for a $268.3 million market.
- More than 600 schools have programs that provide iPads to students.
- Public schools in Chicago have spend almost $500,000 on iPads for students.
- The Apple iPad has 64% of the tablet market share.
- As of January 2012, 24% of individuals between the ages of 18-29 own a tablet device (only 6% in 2010).
- iBooks costs no more than $15 each.
- Digital textbooks require additional setup costs (iPad, keyboard, case, etc.)
- Used textbooks can be sold back for cash.
- E-reader textbooks cost, on average, 39% less than print textbooks.
- As of right now, e-books only save students about $12 per year.
About Anson Alexander
Anson Alexander is a graduate from the University of Tampa with a degree in International Business and Information Systems.A previous IT Administrator for a medium size publication company, Anson has recently decided to work full time on his own business by publishing on AnsonAlex.com, publishing technology tutorials on YouTube and offering SEO, IT training and digital marketing services.His main interests include technology, social media, infographics, economics, marketing and web design.Connect with Anson on Google+.
[...] This article gives a good comparison on the cost of iPads and textbooks. It might be something that we could use to show cost and talk about how the cost over time won’t be as expensive. I don’t agree with the saving cost of only $12 a year per student. I truly believe that number is higher. The initial cost will be the largest expense, but after that, the cost of the iBooks ($15 or less) or the apps ($0 -?) would save a ton of time. [...]