Media use among 8-18 year olds increases while time spent reading books remains steady

A new study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that daily media use among children and teens has increased dramatically since 2004. In 2009, 8-18 year olds consumed an average of seven hours and 38 minutes of entertainment media a day. This is up from six hours and 21 minutes a day in 2004. The increase in media usage is driven largely by access to cell phones and iPods/MP3 players. Over the past five years, cell phone ownership among 8-18 year olds increased from 39% to 66% and iPod/MP3 player ownership increased from 18% to 76%. Activities such as social networking and high levels of media multitasking also contributed to the increase.

According to the report, the amount of time spent with mediums such as music/audio, TV content, computers, and video games increased while movies and print decreased. Print media decreased from an average of 43 minutes per day in 2004 to 38 minutes in 2009. The decrease is attributed to time spent with magazines which dropped from 14 minutes in 2004 to 9 minutes in 2009 and newspapers which dropped from 6 minutes to 3 minutes. Interestingly, the time that children and teens spend reading books has remained steady at 25 minutes per day. In addition, 8-18 year olds now spend an average of two minutes per day reading magazines and newspapers online.

Will Apple partner with Verizon?

According to a posting on TheStreet.com, there is a new rumor circulating that Apple and Verizon could partner for Apple’s release of a large screen iPod. It was originally thought that the device could hit the market in fall 2009 but the latest report says it will be released in time for the holidays this year. The posting notes that the device will be data-only and Verizon will not be as “tightly integrated” as Apple’s exclusive iPhone deal with AT&T.

DukeMobile and iStanford applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Last week, Duke University unveiled a suite of applications for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch called “DukeMobile.” According to an article from The Wired Campus, the applications allow users to browse the university’s catalog, search a campus map, and watch Duke related content on YouTube and iTunes. The application was created by Terriblyclever, a company started by Stanford students which recently produced an even more advanced and impressive suite of applications for Stanford University called “iStanford.” The “iStanford” applications are connected to the university’s core computer system which allows students to perform tasks that are normally only accessible over secure campus networks. Students can add and drop courses, find out the exact location of the campus shuttle, and review grades and course history. Additionally, students can use an interactive campus map to find out the locations of other students with iPhones and send them instant messages. For students that do not have an iPhone or iTouch, there is also a website designed for web-capable phones that offers campus services. A recent article in TIME explains that the applications have received great reviews and we are likely to see more universities invest in similar applications in the upcoming months.

Amazon releases e-book application for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Earlier today Amazon made a surprising move in an effort to capture more of the e-book market. According to an article from The New York Times, Amazon has released a free application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that allows Apple users to access and purchase the 240,000 e-books currently available for the Kindle. Ian Freed, Vice President in charge of the Kindle explained that Amazon sees the e-reading application as a complement to the Kindle device and believes it could lead to more Kindle sales for its larger screen and longer battery life. Additionally, people that own both Kindle and Apple devices will benefit from the Whispersync technology which allows users to view all of their previously purchased e-books on both devices and place bookmarks on one device and have it display on the other. However, a posting from Gadgetwise explains that the application does lack some important features including widescreen reading capability, touch screen functionality to increase the text size, the ability to add notes, and most importantly the ability to download easily. It seems that the new Kindle application is best suited for customers that have either purchased the book via the Kindle or by using their computer because when users try to purchase e-books from the application a message says, “Get the best shopping experience by visiting www.amazon.com/kindlestore on your Mac or PC.”

Digital pilots in the U.K.

A recent article from Russian Today provides a look at how a university in the U.K. is piloting digital technology. Similar to a pilot occurring at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in the U.S., The University of Derby is experimenting with the use of iPods for medical students. Recently, 35 first-year students studying diagnostic radiology were given iPods with video lessons to supplement their lectures in hope that the medical demonstrations would be more useful than a traditional textbook. According to Chris O’Reilly, e-Learning Development Coordinator for Radiography, the university is already realizing the academic and social benefits of the devices. He explains that students find the devices to be a great resource and appreciate the ability to access the material wherever and whenever they want. Additionally, the device provides a social benefit by helping the university develop a relationship with the students from the start of their enrollment. The iPod pilot is likely the first example of additional digital initiatives for the university. Chris O’Reilly explains, “We are always looking for innovative ways to deliver education to students.”

Sales projections for the Kindle

A recent article from The New York Times provides some interesting projections for the Amazon Kindle if it were to follow a similar sales trajectory to the Apple iPod. The article suggests that if the second generation Kindle can quadruple sales just as the second generation iPod did, then Amazon could sell 2.2 million Kindles this year. If every Kindle owner then bought two books a month for $10, with a 15% margin on sales, the Kindle earnings could reach $330 million, resulting in 27 times the expected earnings for the Kindle.

If Amazon also releases a student version of the Kindle this year and can tap into the $5.5 billion annual United States college textbook market, what will sales look like then?

iTunes becomes DRM-free

On Tuesday, at Apple’s annual MacWorld Expo it was announced that the entire iTunes catalog will become DRM free, meaning that users can now move their songs among Apple and non-Apple computers, phones, and music devices as they wish. As of today, 8 million of the iTunes songs are available without DRM and by the end of the quarter the remaining 2 million songs will be added. This news comes two years after Steve Jobs posted an open letter on Apple’s website encouraging the music industry to drop DRM.

According to an article from The New York Times, the decision to go DRM-free is actually a compromise between Apple and the major music labels – Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. In order to remove the DRM restrictions, Apple had to agree to let the record companies set a range of prices for songs in the iTunes store. By allowing a range, the companies hope to make more money on the best sellers and draw attention to the older hits. However, it is not clear why the record labels and Apple suddenly agreed to the compromise. Some speculate that the record companies held out the past few years in an effort to help strengthen competitors but now with the tough economy and declining music sales, it was time to compromise.

What does this mean for Apple’s competitors? And perhaps more importantly, what does it mean for education? Higher education institutions have been grappling with content piracy, including music, for some time now. Will DRM-free content reduce or increase this challenge? How will this shift ultimately affect movies and other content with DRM? A posting on Teleread says it best, “Well, if Apple can do it with the music industry, how long will it take publishers to wake up and notice that the playing field has changed? If past history is any example, too long, I’m afraid.”

Nearing our "i-Pod" moment?

Are textbooks, publishing, and college stores about to face their "i-Pod moment"? That was part of the discussion last week in a session at the O'Reilly TOC conference. The question, though, is: Is it possible that our "iPod moment" is coming more quickly than we expected? Could it arrive within the year?

Between now and CAMEX we will be sending out an announcement to members about a recent development that has come to our attention. We are still tracking out information and trying to learn more. From what we have confirmed at this stage, however, appears that the digital environment for textbooks is about to become far more competitive. There is a device, that currently lacks a sufficient content inventory, but that may be about to change. Furthermore, the company owning that device is approaching academic institutions directly through the IT branch. We know a bit more than that, but not a whole lot more. Once the announcement goes out, I will post a copy here.

If we are facing our "iPod moment," are we ready? I would like to seriously engage in a discussion on this topic, our opportunities, and our options. I will bring the topic up in my session at CAMEX next Friday at 4pm. I would be interested in having more conversation on this either here through the blog or via other avenues.