iTunes U downloads crack 1 billion mark [u]
updated 10:03 am EST, Thu February 28, 2013
Says most downloads happening outside US
(Updated with Apple quote on iPad sales) Over 1 billion downloads have been made through iTunes U, Apple has announced. The service, a subset of iTunes, includes books, coursework, and podcasts, many of which are free to the public. Apple says that it has over 1,200 universities and colleges participating, and about the same number of K-12 institutions. In all, over 2,500 public courses are available, along with "thousands" of private ones.
Apple adds that over 60 percent of iTunes U downloads originate from outside the US. Courses can be created by teachers in 30 countries, some of the more recent supported nations being Brazil, Turkey, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. The content can be accessed by people in over 155 countries, though, including anywhere where the iTunes U app is available for iOS.
To promote the milestone, Apple is highlighting its most popular courses on iTunes. The company remarks that a few courses have have surpassed 100,000 students, including ones hosted by Duke, Yale, Cambridge, MIT, and Oxford.
Update: Apple has also informed AllThingsD that it has sold over 4.5 million iPads into US schools.
