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Lifetime access to up-to-date info -- is this the future of the textbook?

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zridling:
Yun Xie interviews Vikram Savkar on digital, interactive science texts:



The main problem is that textbooks are not research-oriented, nor are they up-to-date. Most are already behind the times by the time you buy them.... Textbooks are also falling behind when it comes to technology, as any interactive content has to be provided via separate media. Thus, it was exciting to see the implementation of what's being claimed as the “first interactive textbook” called Principles of Biology.

...These textbooks are not free, but they are affordable. We think it’ll be possible to be affordable. The price will be around $49 per student, and it’s a lifetime access. A person will always have access to the book. Our editorial team will also keep the textbook current. Twenty years from now, you can still read it and get updated on the world of biology. It’s a living edition, not something stagnant.

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/06/textbooks-of-the-future-will-be-born-digital-and-accessible.ars

Josh:
As a college student, I love the idea! I am sick of paying for books which quickly grow out of date, or paying 200 dollars for the latest edition of a book when nothing really has changed from the first edition.

I am trying a little experiment with my next 2 classes to see if I can make it through them WITHOUT purchasing the textbooks, relying solely on online information and journals.

That said, I would gladly buy books, or services as they were, in this fashion. This is a great idea!

steeladept:
Josh, I hope that your experiment works out - in my undergrad studies I was able to get away without buying books for most of my classes for the last 2 years of college.  The only time I needed to buy them was for classes where I needed to do work out of the books (such as math books, though I finished my math classes by that time).

As for the book idea, I think it is great, but I don't see how they can keep it that cheap and keep it constantly updated, and keep it with unlimited access to the original purchaser.  IF they can keep a steady flow of customers, I can see two of those - perhaps constantly updated with permanent access, for example, but then I would think the price would have to be very high.   Alternatively, I can see them keeping the price low, but using a subscription type of service - $20/year for access, $50/5 year access, etc.   Personally I like the idea of $50/5 year access - people could still sell "the book" if desired (I can imagine a few classes that are considered worthless that I would have transferred my account if allowed).  It is a sustainable price given constant updates, without the lifetime license issues that tend to kill constantly updated projects be they software or, in this case, books.  Sure it is conceptually great for customers, but I have yet to find a lifetime license project that hasn't at some point changed the licensing to kill off the license option, stopped or significantly slowed update progress, or just killed the project outright.  The only notable exception (so far) is xyplorer, and I am not convinced it won't change - just that it hasn't yet.  I can only imagine this idea will suffer a similar fate if they try to accomplish everything claimed above.

40hz:
What I always worry about with constant updates is errors slipping past the final proof-edit cycle. It seems almost axiomatic that every correction made in a technical book introduces new errors.

Also to SteelAdept's earlier point, lifetime-free is not a workable business model. As we've seen demonstrated over and over. Either the company goes out of business, the product is allowed to stagnate, or the business is forced to reneg on its 'lifetime' promise. Like the old saying goes: speed, price, quality - pick any two.

This is something I get into with my clients and people I do business startup counseling with: Not every great idea is a good idea for a business. I often get told something is a "terrific idea" for something that addresses a "real need." Then they throw the dumbest justification in the world at me: Nobody else is doing this!

To which I reply: Maybe you'd better look into why nobody else is doing it before you go any further.

I know it's a real buzzkill. But about 90% of the time you identify something that's not being done, there's a very good reason (or reasons) why not. This isn't to say you should automatically rule it out. (Because that remaining 10% of previously unaddressed opportunity is what most million dollar commercial empires are founded on.) But you should at least do some 'diligence' and find out why.

I think Vikram might need to think the business side of his idea through a little more completely than it seems he has.

Of course I could be completely wrong about this. (I certainly was about Google and AOL - so it wouldn't be the first time. ;D )

DonL:
The only notable exception (so far) is xyplorer, and I am not convinced it won't change - just that it hasn't yet.  I can only imagine this idea will suffer a similar fate if they try to accomplish everything claimed above.-steeladept (June 27, 2011, 07:45 AM)
--- End quote ---
The big advantages of a lifetime license are: (1) Extremely satisfied users that will spread the word (viral marketing). (2) Less overhead (non-coding work) for the developer: Every 10th customer or so needs support in how to pay or how and where to enter the license key. Lifetime license customers are usually "set and forget" regarding these things.

So there are no plans at all to drop the XYplorer lifetime license. It works great! But it will get more expensive (because currently it is just too cheap for the value).

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