Apple may have moved 350,000 iBooks textbooks in three days
updated 08:30 am EST, Mon January 23, 2012
Tracking estimate shows Apple at 350K
Apple may have seen as many as 350,000 iBooks textbooks downloaded since launch. Global Equities Research claims to have a special tracking method that showed the relatively brisk take-up. As many as 90,000 copies of iBooks Author had been downloaded at the same time.
It wasn't clear how many of these downloads were samples versus paid copies.
The figure, if accurate, was still considered a "recipe for Apple’s success" by GER analyst Trip Chowdhry. While small relative to other iBooks downloads, the count is high relative to education and suggests a strong level of interest. Some of the downloads are likely to be experimental as customers try out the textbook platform.
The category is relatively new and has few other competitors in direct, advanced textbooks, such as Kno. Context as a result is difficult and may see Apple compared more closely to paper than to peers.
