Digital Textbooks for College?

doggkruse asks: "I recently purchased textbooks for the current semester in college only to end up with an empty wallet and a sore back. I have been looking into digital textbooks so that I will not have to lug around the real ones any more. I have found one site that seems to offer a very limited number of digital books. Does anyone know of a more complete solution. Especially one that works with Mac OS X. As laptops in classes are becoming more prolific, I think it is time to ditch the paper and save my wallet."

Is the cost really for the paper?

[Anonymous Coward]

Are college books expensive because of the actual printing of the book or because of the value of the information (real or imagined)?

Though, saving your back is still a great idea!

Wish I had an answr, but I don't

[NanoGator]

I just wanted to say that I want more e-publications out there. I used to balk at the idea of paying for information. But the truth is that the convenience of not having a paper thing to throw away later is growing more and more attractive. Just email me a .PDF version of the mag. If I want to read it in the bathroom, I'll just copy it to my PocketPC.

Should schoolbooks be the same way? You bet! You tend to get spoiled by the find command.

They'll cost as much or more than the paper ones

[CMU_Nort]

You're sadly delusional if you think that digital textbooks will cost any bit less than the dead-tree counterparts. Retail e-books cost just as much as the hardcovers, even after they're out on paperback. If anything, I'd say the publishers will charge more for the e-textbook because of all the value-added of being able to search through it easily.