Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#11

Post by whatthefish » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 7:01 PM UTC

davidblair wrote: post #3

moxiemk1 wrote: post #2

This announcement in particular stood out as meaningful to me, because it seems with the iTunes U app, Apple is taking on Blackboard. There are few products that, as a student, more directly inhibit education than Blackboard. Ripe for disruption? More like rotting on the ground.

The reason Blackboard doesn't have competition is due to the patents they hold. They have made a commitment not to sue free, open source projects, but as soon as you start charging money they are ready to protect their IP rights.

If they can't sue you, then they just buy you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANGEL_Learning

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#12

Post by mminer » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 7:30 PM UTC

mdwrigh2 wrote: post #8

Groxx wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can only hope. My university use(d|s) a competitor (sorry, name escapes me, though I supported it for a year or two) that was also crap. It's terrifying just how horrible these systems are.

Was it Moodle by chance? That's the only competitor to Blackboard I've ever seen.

The university I attend recently switched to using Desire2Learn, a competitor which for many years was fighting a legal battle with Blackboard. I haven't used the software extensively yet, but my first impressions are that it's considerably better than the embarrassingly poor system employed before.

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#13

Post by bipartitegraph » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 7:35 PM UTC

Wasn't this always there?

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#14

Post by teeray » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 7:45 PM UTC

So, who else just downloaded more courses than they can possibly manage to watch?

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#15

Post by teeray » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 7:49 PM UTC

bipartitegraph wrote: post #13

Wasn't this always there?

The video lectures were there, and the UI was the same as watching a podcast. Abstracting iTunes U into its own app allowed Apple to add course materials without it cluttering up the "Videos" app.

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#16

Post by tikhonj » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 8:53 PM UTC

Now we just need iTunes U for Linux... Or better yet, the universities using it should provide the lectures in some open format as well.

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#17

Post by gamble » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 9:27 PM UTC

whatthefish wrote: post #11

davidblair wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason Blackboard doesn't have competition is due to the patents they hold. They have made a commitment not to sue free, open source projects, but as soon as you start charging money they are ready to protect their IP rights.

If they can't sue you, then they just buy you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANGEL_Learning

That's standard practice in education. It's very hard to sell new products in that market, and customers rarely switch products regardless of how badly they're treated. Acquisitions are the only way to grow quickly. Every large company serving the education market is a patchwork of milch cows acquired over the years and squeezed until dry.

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#18

Post by redrobot5050 » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 9:52 PM UTC

unreal37 wrote: post #9

ceol wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't most schools already buy into Microsoft's closed environment?

Does Microsoft charge you a fee to develop and sell an app? No. But once you're locked into the iApps, iBooks, iTunes U, iUniverse - Apple gets its 30% off the top. And no alternatives are allowed.

Uh, yes, Microsoft DOES charge you a fee...it's called "paying out the ass for your tools".

What did Visual Studio Enterprise cost last time I looked for a small company (like a start up)? $1600 a pop. More than what's needed for a Mac Mini, an iPod Touch, and a Apple Developer License/Cert.

The same tools (XCode) cost $5.

(And you'd still have to pay for your hardware/OS on top of that $1600). And that's not counting MSDN fees, either.

Make no mistake: Microsoft milks its marketshare of developers just as much as anyone else. It's just a different way of pricing.

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#19

Post by russnewcomer » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 9:53 PM UTC

moxiemk1 wrote: post #2

This announcement in particular stood out as meaningful to me, because it seems with the iTunes U app, Apple is taking on Blackboard. There are few products that, as a student, more directly inhibit education than Blackboard. Ripe for disruption? More like rotting on the ground.

I don't think they are really taking on Blackboard. They purchased PowerSchool in 2001, but then sold it in 2006. I think that shows they have no interest in this space, even though if they could sell a system that integrates the iTunes U app into the SIS.

Re: Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad

#20

Post by Groxx » Thu, Jan 19, 2012, 9:59 PM UTC

mminer wrote: post #12

mdwrigh2 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was it Moodle by chance? That's the only competitor to Blackboard I've ever seen.

The university I attend recently switched to using Desire2Learn, a competitor which for many years was fighting a legal battle with Blackboard. I haven't used the software extensively yet, but my first impressions are that it's considerably better than the embarrassingly poor system employed before.

D2L: That was the one, thanks :) It did a lot, but we also had to do an enormous amount by hand because it was simply impossible to automate . And rather mind-numbing pain whenever someone got married, and their name and/or email address changed.