When students at Princeton University, the University of Utah and eight other colleges start combing their school bookstore shelves for fall semester textbooks, they'll find a new alternative to the hard-covered tomes they're used to buying.
Alongside the new and used versions of Dante's "Inferno" and "Essentials of Psychology" will be little cards offering 33 percent off if students decide to download a digital version of a text instead of buying a hard copy.
That's not a bad deal for a cash-strapped student facing book bills in the hundreds of dollars. But there are trade-offs. The new digital textbook program imposes strict guidelines on how the books can be used, including locking the downloaded books to a single computer and setting a five-month expiration date, after which the book can't be read.
News.context
What's new:
Bookstores at Princeton University, the University of Utah and eight other colleges are offering students bargain textbook downloads that expire after five months.
Bottom line: The new program is among the most far-reaching moves toward digital publishing made in the academic environment to date, and could prove to be a significant test of the kinds of trade-offs students are willing to make in order to access the conveniences of digital texts.
Bookstore managers at the 10 schools participating in the trial program say they expect some students to be put off by the restrictions, but say they are eager to provide a digital choice to students who are increasingly computer-centered--and help them save money in the process.
"We don't know yet how people will react," said Virginia France, the marketing director at the Princeton University Store. "It is something that will evolve over time. But it is the first program like it that involves the stores, so naturally we think that's a good idea."
The new program is among the most far-reaching moves toward digital publishing made in the academic environment to date, and could prove to be a significant test of the kinds of trade-offs students are willing to make in order to access the conveniences of digital texts.
Indeed, the history of electronic books has shown that readers have found little to love, even when prices are substantially lower. Critics say that most consumers aren't yet willing to read book-length segments of text online and that e-book devices remain too expensive for the mass market.
E-books as a whole remain an infinitesimal part of the overall publishing market, with just $3.2 million in sales logged by retailers in the third quarter of 2004, the last period for which figures are available, according to the International Digital Publishing Forum.
As with music and movies, part of the issue has been copy protection. Books are not as widely swapped online as are songs and Hollywood films, but it is possible to find hundreds or thousands of titles available for download in file-trading networks or Internet Relay Chat, or IRC, channels.
Fear of unrestricted copying has prompted publishers to release their books in formats that are unfamiliar to much of the public, or that hold copying restrictions, such as Adobe's Acrobat or Microsoft's Reader format.
Not an academic question
The textbook publishing world has been moving toward digital sales for several years. For the most part, however, this has come in the form of direct sales to students from the publishers themselves, and has accounted for a small portion of overall sales.
The trial project starting this semester is the first to include multiple publishers and one of the largest textbook wholesalers in the country, MBS Textbook Exchange. The publishers include McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Houghton Mifflin, John Wiley & Sons, Thomson Learning and Sage Publications.
MBS Textbook Exchange, which provides inventory and accounting services as well as wholesale book distribution, developed the card system with input from the publishers and a handful of bookstores, hoping that it and its customers could avoid being cut out of the sales process as digital sales grew.
"The real question is how long before publishers stop printing on paper."
--Fred von Lohmann, attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation
"Everyone knew there was a need for digital textbooks that's been growing for the last two years or so," said Jeff Cohen, the advertising and promotions manager at MBS Textbook Exchange. "The traditional channel that students use to buy books has been the bookstore, and keeping them in the mix is important, for the bookstores and for us."
Under the program, students will have a choice between new and used books for a class, or can pick up the card offering the 33 percent discount. The initially generic card will be associated with a specific book at checkout, and the student can download the book in Adobe's Acrobat form to a single computer.
In the trial phase, an average of 30 books at each store will be available in digital form, chosen based on how widely the books are used and on whether the publishers own the digital rights to the texts. More books will be added later, Cohen said.
The digital form does have some advantages. The downloaded books can be searched by keyword and read out loud by the Adobe software, as well as highlighted and bookmarked.
They will expire after 150 days. But the publisher can change
University book prices are outrageous under normal 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.
This is academia, the one place in the world where knowledge should flow freely (or almost.) Without publishing costs, these texts should be dramatically cheaper than their counterparts. It looks the the university system is only out to make a buck. Where are the 'open source' Universities? Where are the legions of unpaid academics selflessly producing digital textbooks? Not in my backyard, eh?
It's the Publisher raking in the bucks along with the bookstore. The 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)
Anybody who things this has a chance in hell of working has either never gone to college or forgotten what it is like.
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.
I don't know about anyone else, but I see the DIVX (as in the DVD-like buy-to-rent) model in use here but with less savings.
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.
. . . someone out there is going to be so frustrated (or annoyed) by the expense that they might republish the entire text even if they have to retype it and manually capture each image! then it'll be on the file sharing networks and the market for digital texts will be developed courtesy of this pilot project. then the book publishers will be screaming loudly at congress for a drm-secure operating system to protect their outrageous book prices.
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!
Okay, so a regular paper printed book can be bought and resold. However, that same book, if acquired via digital media expires! This is cr@p. I am so disgusted with the attitude and approach towards digital media. It's a friggin textbook for gawds sake.
There's quite a few things goin gthrough my mind on this. There's potential for it to be good, but we'll see how it turns out.
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?
Just what the world needs a new self destructing DRM
Enough is enough. If I pay for something, I want something tangable, not a self destructing file that last for a few months or until I stop paying a monthly tribute to the publisher. NO THANKS
Interesting concept to increase corporate income, rent a time limited digital book with no resale value! Me the maximum I would pay no more than twenty five cents for this limited time rental junk, at the current prices they charge, this is stealing from the customer!
So, let me get this streight.. Irrespective of the 33% discount, I purchase a product and then 5 months later I end up with something I paid for, but not allowed to use? It's a little like I buy a CD, but I have to sign a contract giving the right for the seller to come to my house, gain access irrespective of what I say and do and just take it back? Don't thieves do that, except this time you're giving the thief the key to your house so you you purchased can be snatched back?
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.
Students can share electronic content. And, usually, you can't stop them. People can be really creative hacking ways through eletronic "protection" technologies.
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?
First of all, I want to say that I understand why most people don't see this as an advantage. But E-books do have their positive sides. I own a tablet pc and carry it to every class with me, currently to take notes on. Now, if I could condense all of my books and notebooks into my tablet, I would be greatly decreasing the load I carry to class every day. Also, if I could get all my books in E-book formats, I wouldn't have to worry about repacking my bag each night for different classes. Plus I can write in the book, circle, highlight, copy and paste portions of text into my notes, and even print entire pages from the book directly into my notebooks (much nicer than scanning them in, as many tablet users do).
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.
'they are eager to provide a digital choice to students who are increasingly computer-centered--and help them save money in the process. '
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.
A discount of 33% is way too low. If you look hard enough, you can find new/barely-used copies of most textbooks online for 50% off or more (heck, so-called "international" editions are even cheaper). I don't buy any books in a bookstore that I can get online and save an average of 60% every semester. Very often you can turn around and sell back the book (either bookstore or online, have to take into account the fees) and end up losing 25-30% tops. Even when a new edition comes out and bookstore won't buy it back, just sell it online (Amazon, Half, eBay).
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 :)
which I've used in a class I teach (my students get it free) and have been selling for slightly over a year. The CD is priced about 2/3 that of printed texts yet has many additional features (hyperlinks, searches, of course, but also programs which run from the text and a reference library that saves student's time).
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.
As a recent college graduate entering graduate school in 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.
... the good thing is we can still choose which form to purchase (hard copy vs. soft copy). It does look expensive but maybe it is important to understand the business and politics behind when you can make a new form of print more expensive, cheaper or for free.
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...
The next issue is what do you do if the only format is a service 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.
This is just another example of large corporations trying to 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 priceand 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 read this article and thought it was the craziest thing I ever heard and said about the same thing before realizing you had said it already.
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.
I'm really liking it for some classes where I don't plan to keep the book. The savings is up front. For example - in one of my classes the book is 90. Buy back is about 45. Digital cost 30. In the end, I do pay less for that book than a hard copy purchase. Books that I may need as a reference in the future...I can't buy a version what will lock in five months. I also don't think I'd like the digital option when using a desktop computer or a normal notebook. On a tablet it is nice. I did run into a slight problem with a professor that didn not allow computer usage during open book quiz/exams. Students appealed to his common sense. He now allows digital books and soft copies of class notes. He had become interested in how we interact with the information and use the books. Which is a bad thing since he is now full of suggestions. He has also started comparing...out loud. He'll announce average grade on work for computer users v. non-computer users. That is also bad.
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.
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 students 3rd-party payer (i.e. a govt agency, insurance company, etc.) was backlogged in providing them their educational funding 4) the students 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 <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.ahead.org" target="_newWindow">http://www.ahead.org</a>) 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.
Whoa, wait a minute there. A 33% discount (ONLY a 33% discount) for a book with a TIME LIMIT???
That should be illegal, it's such a rip off.
I can buy a book for 100% of the price, and even up to 75% off, but at least I could read it over for all of eternity if I needed too.
I am all for the idea of eBooks, or books on discs. I think it'd be better for the environment for us to eliminate paper as much as possible seeing as how much we are using electronics. But NO ONE is stupid enough to buy an electronic book that's going to expire. Especially for only 33% off. It would make sense for an expiring book if you were borrowing it from a library (and didn't have to pay money), because it would prevent people from stealing the book. But if you're going to sell kids eBooks or books on discs, here's a thought - make them somewhat cheaper and don't put the expiration date on them. It's strict enough that the file can only be opened on one computer.
My point is - it's strict enough to be selling books that cannot be resold. Making it so the student who bought it can't read it past a certain amount of time is too much of an off-set to encourage buying it.
Or at least, I'd never do it. I'd look to buying it elsewhere - permanently.
I have been attending University of Phoenix on-line now for some time. Of course our books are all on-line. They offer us great freedom with the ability to download the books to whatever personal computer we use. Sometimes though keeping your book on your computer sucks. I would like to read a book in bed sometimes. I bought the Sony Reader thanking this would solve my problem. It didn't (no command line interface) meant I couldn't unlock it. So for now I am stuck with my PC. If I had my choice I would go with a text book because of (Pick-up-and-Go).
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The new program is among the most far-reaching moves toward digital publishing made in the academic environment to date, and could prove to be a significant test of the kinds of trade-offs students are willing to make in order to access the conveniences of digital texts. 
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 priceand 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.
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 students 3rd-party payer (i.e. a govt agency, insurance company, etc.) was backlogged in providing them their educational funding
4) the students 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 <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.ahead.org" target="_newWindow">http://www.ahead.org</a>) 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.
That should be illegal, it's such a rip off.
I can buy a book for 100% of the price, and even up to 75% off, but at least I could read it over for all of eternity if I needed too.
I am all for the idea of eBooks, or books on discs. I think it'd be better for the environment for us to eliminate paper as much as possible seeing as how much we are using electronics. But NO ONE is stupid enough to buy an electronic book that's going to expire. Especially for only 33% off. It would make sense for an expiring book if you were borrowing it from a library (and didn't have to pay money), because it would prevent people from stealing the book. But if you're going to sell kids eBooks or books on discs, here's a thought - make them somewhat cheaper and don't put the expiration date on them. It's strict enough that the file can only be opened on one computer.
My point is - it's strict enough to be selling books that cannot be resold. Making it so the student who bought it can't read it past a certain amount of time is too much of an off-set to encourage buying it.
Or at least, I'd never do it. I'd look to buying it elsewhere - permanently.