E-Textbooks: Coming to an iPad near you

According to a March 23 New York Times article, e-books have been slow to catch on with students, who often prefer the bulkier, yet tangible, textbooks in print.
The article said that well-known textbook publishers McGraw-Hill and Pearson are trying a new strategy, though: These companies have signed on with Inkling, a company that formats textbooks to iPads, including interactive features. “They have also agreed to make dozens of their titles available on Inkling’s service,” the article said.
Inkling is a fairly young company, with just 14 textbooks currently available through its service. After Pearson and McGraw-Hill’s additions, Inkling hopes to up that number to nearly 100 textbook offerings by fall 2011.
“Pearson plans to make two dozen of its M.B.A. textbooks available along with a number of undergraduate arts and sciences books, marking the first time the company will sell books through Inkling,” the article said. “McGraw-Hill, which has a handful of books available on the service, will add its Top 100 college titles plus some medical and reference books.”
Many UK courses require textbooks published by McGraw-Hill and Pearson, and numerous offerings are already available in e-book format at campus area bookstores. With the imminent iPad option, UK students will soon have another–cheaper–way to access their textbooks.