Apple’s free online university is proving to be an increasingly important source of education material, according to the latest download figures.
iTunes U opened in 2007 and after a slow start has really taken off in 2010. Total downloads topped one million at the end of last year; in the subsequent eight months that figure has trebled.
Much of the growth is due to the increase in content. iTunes U users no have access to more than 350,000 audio and video files from educational institutions around the world, including recent contributions from universities in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico and Singapore.
“iTunes U makes it easy for people to discover and learn with content from many of the world’s top institutions,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “With such a wide selection of educational material, we’re providing iTunes users with an incredible way to learn on their computer, iPhone, iPod or iPad.”
