And now, further comment on a favorite topic – the cost of textbooks. ZDNET reports that Princeton and several other colleges will offer students eBooks for certain courses. The eBooks are designed to be read on only a single computer and access is limited to 5 months. This seems pretty restrictive for only a 33% reduction in cost. The problem with this proposal as I see it is that students can purchase the full version and probably sell it back for 50%. In my experience, a once used book also sells for 75% of full cost. The price differential in either case is not very motivating. My target price for the $80 book would be in the $25-30 range.
