iPhone app programming course from Stanford U reaches 1 million downloads in 7 weeks

Seven weeks ago, Stanford University began offering a free iTunes video of its popular iPhone Application Programming course and since then, the video has already been downloaded over 1 million times. According to an article on the university’s website, the video reached the milestone quicker than any course in iTunes University history. The course is taught by Apple engineers, and now students and entrepreneurs outside of the university can use the instruction to develop their own apps. Troy Brant, Stanford teaching assistant for the course, commented that the App Store offers a unique business opportunity “for the little guy” because it provides instant access to millions of people and their opinions. Students enrolled in the class at Stanford are working to develop games, productivity apps, billing software, and Stanford specific apps, all with the hope that they might develop an app that hits it big.