As we all know, bookstore magnates such as Angus & Robertson and Borders have gone bust, due to the emergence of e-books.
Modern technology has provided us with access to tablets such as the Kindle and iPad which offer the reader easy access to novels, newspapers and magazines, at an extremely low cost.
From this we all know books are becoming outdated, as they are large, heavy and in comparison, extremely expensive to their electronic counterparts. Despite these trends Textbooks seem to have prevailed thus far in universities and colleges all over the world. But why is it then that universities and colleges around the world have stuck with the traditional books and is this tradition short lived?
Publishing companies are able to maximize the costs of textbooks due to little switching costs presented by the universities compulsory reading lists, and students are the ones forking out the bills. The high turnover of text books and the fact they become outdated almost as soon as they are released, does not allow students to make the most of reselling their textbooks.
Why should students be satisfied with stagnant, rapidly outdated, heavy textbooks that can cost almost as much as the course fees alone, especially when there could be a much cheaper and just as effective alternative option available.
Amazon.com offer’s rental textbooks on their Kindle device, with savings of up to 80% this is very attractive for students as there is no risk of the text book becoming outdated as you only rent the book for as long as you need it.
Some universities have adopted these innovations; Oxford university and The Open University has contributed free, open eBooks to iTunes, allowing students free access to some of the textbooks; By 2015, all of South Korea’s school-age curriculum will be delivered on an array of computers, smart phones and tablets.
Should the rest of the world take note and follow?
Will all text books become digital? Do you want them to?
