Christian Eckstein
Every college student understands that the cost of textbooks are not exactly cheap. Even with websites like half.com and amazon.com, we still pay a more than outrageous price for a book most of us will only use once. However with new applications developed for the Ipad, textbooks could very soon be a thing of the past. Ipads already offer the ability to download pdf. files containing textbooks, and a new company called Inkling looks to cash in on this opportunity. Their application would allow students to purchase books for the Ipad for a fraction of the cost of their required texts. The Ipad, which weighs just 1.5 pounds would be an easy way for students to cut down on costs and possible back injuries.
Beyond reducing the load of textbooks that a student must lug to class every day, Inkling looks to create a greater experience for the student than just downloading pdf. files. This new application would allow students to discuss textbooks with others, and even leave comments within the textbooks that others could access. Students would be able to highlight phrases, and even interact with fellow students. The application gives the publishers the ability to create interactive graphics within the textbook. There is even a biology textbook offered that has the ability to navigate 3-D molecules from any angle. Teachers would also be able to start discussions about the text through the application, as well as give students quizzes. This would be done all directly through the Ipad.
I feel that Inkling has created something would aid any student in their studies. Students would be able to communicate with others extremely well just by leaving comments and waiting for response. I feel that this application would help students study more affectively and increase their comprehension of subject matter. If someone has trouble with a certain concept, all they have to do is comment on that specific paragraph and wait for the replies.
It is only a matter of time before a multitude of companies realize the opportunity here and begin to develop new applications. There is clearly a lot of money to be made here and i feel that it will catch on very quickly. Now i myself have never seen an Ipad on campus but i think that they will start popping up all over the place especially due to the money that can be saved. Textbooks can easily cost a student up to a thousand dollars per semester while Ipads start at around 500 dollars. Students would still have to pay for each textbook, however, the price would be greatly reduced due to the lack of resources used to create each book. Not only would this product completely change how students and professors interact, but it would also let consumers indirectly preserve the environment. Textbooks for universities use an immense amount of paper, the Ipad would cut down on this, preserving a decent amount of trees every year.
On the negative side, i feel that an Ipad would be very distracting at least for the first couple of weeks. It basically acts as a touch screen laptop but i as well as everyone else knows that there is a novelty factor that comes with the device. Besides the novelty factor, every six months or so new an improved technology would ultimately be released that would make this technology obsolete.
In the end Inkling’s new brainchild will completely change the game when it comes to how information reaches the fingertips of students. College campuses are quickly evolving and Inkling is just one of many companies to aid this rapid change.
walkthrough video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdKfZK12Cp8
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/replacing-a-pile-of-textbook-with-an-ipad/
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