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Have e-books turned a page?
August 27, 2004 -
Adobe's Microsoft strategy
April 17, 2004 -
Barnes & Noble shelves e-books
September 9, 2003
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the setting if, for example, a text will be used over several semesters. Some restrictions on printing also apply, including a ban on printing the entire text at once.
Those usage rules, the product of negotiations with the big publishers, may change once the program is expanded to a larger audience, Cohen said. But for now, the restrictions mean that students won't be able to sell their books back to the bookstore, a traditional money-saving activity at the end of classes.
"This does have a life that's different," Cohen said. "It is what it is. It's getting the value up front."
Bookstore managers at the University of Utah and Princeton said that the program is being launched largely without consulting faculty or students on campus beforehand. At Utah, where the cards will be available beginning Tuesday, students have mixed reactions.
"It does sound like a cool idea," said Utah sophomore Jonathan Hayes. "For me, it would depend on the class and subject. If it was one that I was constantly reading, I'd buy the book. If it was one where I read just a couple chapters every week, but it was necessary, then I would consider it."
Digital liberties activists look at the program with some skepticism, arguing that it could be a way for publishers to undermine the thriving used textbook market.
"As long as people have the choice (of printed books), it's not such a dangerous move," said Fred von Lohmann, an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that has been critical of efforts to copy-protect academic works. "The real question is how long before publishers stop printing on paper. There is no doubt that publishers would like to move to a world where there is no used market for textbooks."
The digital books will be initially available at the University of Oregon, the University of Utah, Portland Community College, Bowling Green State University, Princeton University, Georgetown College, California State University-Fullerton, Morehead State University, and at privately owned stores serving West Virginia University and Louisiana State University.
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circumstances, but the assumption is usually the money goes to
augment a professor's normal pay or retirement benefits. And
there is very little that any student can do about it.
But often, used texts are available for half price or less, which
then can be sold a year later for a noticeable portion of their
cost.
Now, bookstores want to give a measly 33% off for downloading
the text, good for only five months, and it's a one time use. The
economics say buy the real book, it lasts relatively forever, and
when class is finished, it can go on the book shelf for reference,
or it can be resold. Net cost about the same but with greater
options.
I think that the universities offering this 'service' have dreams of
avarice. Students should tell them where to put their 'generous'
offer.
big U gets most of their profit (or Oper Expenses) from tuition and
state or private endowments. The publisher is real culprit. Consider
Pearson Publishing, which has convinced at least one large
University to use their beta courseware for several online classes or
online tests and the student is the loser. (voice of experience here-
two of these classes where one had the wrong answers to the onlie
quizes and the other where most of the students couldn't access
the quizes)
Ignoring for the moment that lots of students like to take notes in the margins of their textbooks, computers have clocks that can be reset and there is hardly a student out there who won't live with a wrong date on his computer half the time to save a buck on a text book. Students will also hack the "protection" or pool together, buy one, and then print several copies - probably on a department printer that isn't properly secured.
Just sell them books at a decent price and let them do what they want with them. As soon as there is an economic weakness anywhere in the model (IOW it costs them more to do it than the manufacturer), the students will exploit it in exactly the same way that students don't buy software, they pirate it.
Welcome to the reality of higher education. The only people who can make students a profit center are the folks doing spring break package tours.
So expect them to share.
Right?
DIVX failed even though you could get movies for one third or less of the cost of an average DVD because of the time limit on them. Digital text books that still cost around two thirds of the price of the hard copy and have a time limit probably won't succeed.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Even if not, what can stop people or software from for example print-screening an ebook and assembling a PDF of their own without the time limits?
What a joke.
sheesh. this is ridiculous. i concur with other comments that this is just more evidence that drm is simply a way to get more money from poor smucks.
btw: what happens when the laptop is stolen/breaks? if past drm history is any guide, you're outta luck, bud! sure, we sold you a license to use this product for a given time period, but that doesn't mean it's up to us to give you another copy so that you can continue using it during the license period!
mark d.
How much cheaper is it than buying the printed book? For those wanting to sell it back ot the bookstore or to another student when he's done, thre is a loss as the student probably won't get his own full purchase price back even if he bought it used instead of new. How does that loss compare to the purchase price of the digital book and throwing it in the trash when it expires? This comparison can be favorable or really bad. Of course there's always the chance that the printed book won't be sellable either, I myself got stuck with a number I didn't want to keep simply because a enw edition or totally different text would be used the next semester, and I lost out on my entire printed purchase price when I tossed them in the dumpster because I didn't have room to keep them.
Thre are some topics which I'd today be unhappy if I bought an expirable version, such as the math or engineering texts, which are valuable resources long after the class is over. I'd hope that students will continue buying printed texts for the important topics. At the same time, I don't plan to read Of Mice and Men very often if ever again. Same for other literature, economics, or other topics that I don't use every day since getting a job after school. I can see these being disposable titles if the digital versions really do overall cost less than the printed books, but some of them that I had were only a few dollars used in print. Granted, others cost more than that, but I don't see digital replacing the cheaper titles.
What about if a student's laptop gets stolen, spilled on, dropped, or otherwise broken or replaced with a newer model or newer OS version or change to/from Windows/Linux/Mac on the "same" hardware? Is the book card back in the dorm room where it could be installed on a new laptop? What does the single computer restriction key off? Maybe a student might want to upgrade her wireless card from B to G or N when available, or get the next version of Windows when Longhorn ships, or needs a bigger hard drive or to replace a crashed disk. Will any of these events make the book think it's on a different computer and quit working on the "same" laptop? Or will all digital textbooks need to be purchased a second time to work on a replacement for a dead computer? I think a lot of people would complain about such things if it comes up, as they've legitimately purchased the book and can't use it. If you spill coffee on a printed book, it gets a bit weird but can still be read. If you drop a printed book, it's still usable.
And finally, what will the environmetalists think of this? Are the cards recyclable, to be "recharged" for another semester and resold? Or are they truely disposable and will start piling up in landfills, exposing the innocent plants and animals (as well as us humans) to the lead that Bush and friends don't care to have left out of electronics in America? If they can be recycled by the bookstore or publisher for future limited uses, will the student get a deposit back, or would there be no incentive to lug these things to a repository compared to dropping them into the trash bin right next to you?
But for now, time will tell. Knowing how good human beings we are, we will always aim for the good of mankind.
Some people subscribe for products/content and they're happy. It's not entirely bad really. It just happens to tap the few who might appreciate it.
In some cases, the business becomes so stable, people embraces it. That's why you don't complain paying for something periodically just to keep it.
You see, some of these things being started today might really work tomorrow. Mirror, mirror on the wall...
Enough said... If I legitimately and lawfully purchase something I prefer to keep it so I won't be a customer of this bad practive.
Enough said . . .
1) Buy a house for $600.000-
2) Rent it for 5 months for $400.000- (33% less)
Who earns a LOT of money?
Do school managers thinks that students are stupid?
Now, normally, you don't share your house. And I don't think houses can be hacked. So it would be better to compare this to an eletronic house. But then again... who's selling one?
As far as the price goes, I feel that the prices at this point are still very high. I believe because of the lower production costs of digital texts, the companies will eventually increase this discount if digital texts extend to more universities. Compared to my larger textbooks, they cost me appox. $100, so lets say I save $33 now. From my past encounters with our university bookstore that is still a bit more (normally between $15-$30) than I can sell the books back for at the end of the semester. Which is only acceptable to me because I would prefer E-books.
Now to the expiration date. Programs such as Microsoft OneNote or Agilix GoBinder allow you to print to a virtual printer. The article says that the ban would be on printing the entire text at once. I didn't have that in mind, however, if I find something in the texts to be relevant to my future reference needs, I simply would print it to GoBinder or OneNote and save it forever...
Sorry about the length I just wanted to shed some light onto why E-books (AND TABLET PC's!!) are useful to students.
So you are one of those computerminded students. I congratelate you on your neat way of working, it really seems great to me.
But I still think you're being overcharged to an allmost criminal extend. Printing a book is expensive, so is distributing and storing, whereas the digital form costs the publisher close to nothing. If they we're really so concerned with your financial situation I'm convinced they could give you a far better offer. Wich they won't because then everyone would go for the digital version and they would be out of the printed-book business wich is so profitable to them.
Regards,
Huddie
But even if the price was 75% off for e-versions, the restrictions are way too tight:
(1) One computer -- I don't have a laptop so I use a home computer, work computer, and computers in school to do my work. Other people raised valid points about fragility of laptops and prevalence of accidents, so I won't repeat those.
(2) FIVE MONTHS????? -- you've got to be kidding, right? That's something that'd work somewhat ebtter for liberal arts classes but even then, it's inconvenient.
...
There're way too many points to complain about here but you get my drift :)
I don't use DRM, and have found that about 75% to 80% of CDs in use have been pirated. We aren't talking about resale to the next term's students, but copying the CD for "friends". Frankly, if this were my main source of income, I'd be out of business. There are only two solutions -- bundling the textbook into the tuition (which is being done at several colleges) or DRM. I despise DRM, but must face the evidence that the overwhelming majority of students are dishonest.
electrical engineeering, I use all of my old textbooks as
reference material. Some of my textbooks have been used for 3
semesters in various classes as well as serving as on hand
refreshers for later subjects. If an electronic textbook can only
be used for around five months, how can a student keep it as a
reference resource for the future? Some textbooks make sense
to be offered in the electronic form as mentioned in the article.
These selected reading for english courses or humanities course
materials - at least for engineers. There are several textbooks
that I paid $80 dollars for a used copy (with no markings in it)
initially, but I used the textbooks for 3 semesters. The new copy
ran around $120 dollars. So lets do some math: Taking 33% off
of the new copy price, that would be $80 for the e-copy. Over
three semsters of needing this book, that would be $240. $240
versus $80... hmmm so how is an e-copy worth it financially?
Also, how is it worth anything outside of college? Where's the
familiar reference material to refer to while you're out in the
workforce?
Electrical engineers are looked on as the people in on
technology. That being said, having the limitation of only being
able to use it on one computer limits when someone can
upgrade to a new laptop. Desktops for textbooks are absurd, so
if a student only has a desktop (and a nice fully loaded gaming
one at that), they aren't in for it either.
There is also no mention of what will happen if a virus damages
the book file or if your hard drive crashes. Will students have to
buy a new copy, or will there be a database of the students who
have purchased an e-book? Most likely not. It will work the
same way as if you lose your hardbound 1000 page tome. You'll
have to buy another one. In that respect, the question is then,
"which costs more and is harder to lose?"
I've never lost a book, but I've had a hard drive crash while in
college. I'll stick to my tomes in grad school.
This is suppose to be fiction - maybe not.
Francis "What have we done to Freedom now" Brock
What is interesting here is the news that the electronic publishing form is being tried to market. It's young and still developing. Sooner or later, we should see business models established to make it more acceptable and definitely more valuable.
Honestly, though, I'd rather see a service where I can subscribe for specific or unlimited content. I think it is fair enough that I pay periodically having chosen not to own a hard copy I can keep at home.
So believe me in saying that the next issue is content piracy protection...
and they change the stories? How would you know? Assuming
you knew, how could you prove it? Classic example is the old
Soviet Russia (and the new and improved HSA II). They would go
to all of the schools and libraries ald cut out the old TRUTH and
paste in the new TRUTH. Famous people and heroes were erased
at the whim of the current power brokers. Another is the NCAA
and the new rule banning the use of Native American
Iconography for post season play. Some tribes have bleesed the
use of their cutlural icons and heroes, but soon no more.
squeeze more profit out of products at the expense of the
customer. At 33% discount, I still want the right to retain the
book. I paid for a product, not a service or a rental. Now if the
price were 33% of the original price?and at that still a profit for
the publisher since about 90% of the price is printing and
schmoozing the educators like the pharma sales reps schmooze
the Dr.'s office? then I might consider renting it, but only if I
could change my mind and keep it later for no extra unlock fee.
I've already been the victim of overpriced NEW textbook sets that
are not resellable after the semester is over. At least I still have
the book sets for a reference. This is a very bad greed-based
DRM scam that is totally unacceptable, especially when no one
bothered to ask the customer (the students and their Professors)
for any input, let alone desire.l BAD BAD BAD!
I think environmentally, we'd be better off being all electronic instead of both electronic AND paper... But not if they're going to make it such a financial burden.
- Students with Disabilities Need E-Textbooks
- by Student Disability Svcs August 20, 2006 8:55 PM PDT
- I find it ironic that here I am commenting from work at nearly 10:00 PM on a Sunday night because I am working on requesting e-textbooks for students with disabilities who are qualified to obtain textbooks in alternative formats (i.e. e-text, Braille, enlarged text, etc.). School begins tomorrow, but it will take several weeks for the e-text to arrive. It would make students?/instructors?/disability service providers?/etc. lives much easier if students had the option to purchase their textbooks in an e-format.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
Showing 1 of 2 pages (39 Comments)Yes, currently students need to request their alternative formats in a timely manner, but there are situations where they have legitimate reasons for the delayed request: i.e.
1) the book is on backorder & cannot be requested by the college from the publisher until the student produces a store receipt
2) the school may have a new computer system that affects their Financial Aid awards and they were delayed in being able to obtain their Financial Aid awards to purchase their book in a timely manner & provide a store receipt
3) the student?s 3rd-party payer (i.e. a gov?t agency, insurance company, etc.) was backlogged in providing them their educational funding
4) the student?s advisor/instructor was unavailable so the student had to wait for their return to pick their courses/purchase books
5) etc., etc.
Disability service providers in Higher Education have been advocating for years that e-textbooks be as readily available as their paper counterparts. Currently AHEAD (the national organization: Association on Higher Education and Disability at http://www.ahead.org) is working on national legislation to make this happen. There has been some state-by-state legislation enacted, but, as understand it, it is confusing for the publishers to have to deal with state-to-state differences, so national legislation would provide a common standard.