On Nov 22, 2006, at 10:31 AM, Vitaliy wrote:

> And if the laptop really can replace a book, it makes perfect
> economic sense. How many textbooks can you buy for $100?
>
Now THAT is an interesting observation.  I'm painfully aware of the
price I paid for college textbooks; how much does the average primary
school textbook cost?

Of course, textbooks are "intellectual property", and their cost is
only vaguely related to the cost of printing and distributing hardcover
books.  This is probably a shame, since my understanding is that the
distribution costs for textbooks IS a significant part of their real
cost.  But as with music, it's not clear that reducing the distribution
costs is going to result in reduced end-user prices without massive
changes in the associated publication culture.

BillW
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