The shortcomings of traditional print edition textbooks are obvious: For starters they're heavy, with the average physics textbook weighing 3.06 pounds.

But the worst part is that print version of textbooks are constantly undergoing revisions

Imagine the promise: Carrying all your textbooks in a 1.3 pound iPad?

And one medical program at the University of California, Irvine, gave their entire class iPads with which to download textbooks just last year

The reason it hasn't caught on yet, he tells me, is that the functionality of e-edition textbooks is incredibly limited, and some students just aren't motivated to learn new study behavior.

Digital textbooks are not going to catch on," says Inkling CEO Matt Maclnnis as he's giving me a demo（演示）over coffee

After swiping（敲擊）into the iPad app (應用軟件 ), which you can get for free here, he opens up a few different types of textbooks.

The biggest problem with traditional print textbooks is that they cost hundreds of dollars every semester

What does the author say about digital textbooks?

It's not likely they will replace traditional textbooks

Inkling CEO Matt Maclnnis explains that the problem with Course Smart's current digital textbooks is that they have to be revised repeatedly.

a mere skeleton of traditional textbooks

One problem for students to replace traditional textbooks with interactive digital ones is the high cost of the hardware.

According to the author, whether digital textbooks will catch on still remains to be seen

By reading the textbooks carefully again.

"I try to make things as inexpensive as possible," said Hunt, who uses free digital textbooks for his classes but designs his own curriculum.

As universities go digital, students are complaining of a new hit to their finances that's replacing—and sometimes joining—expensive textbooks: pricey online access codes that are required to complete coursework and submit assignments.

But the code to access the program cost $120—a big sum for Harper, who had already put down $450 for textbooks, and had rent day approaching.

David Hunt, an associate professor in sociology at Augusta University, which has rolled out digital textbooks across its math and psychology departments, told BuzzFeed News that he understands the utility of using systems that require access codes.

Experts observe that textbooks come in layers, something like an onion.

From 1800 to the resent day, textbooks have done this by posing questions for students to answer inductively.

It is true that textbook publishers have recently reported losses, largely due to students renting or buying used print textbooks.

Its digital course materials save students up to 60% compared to traditional printed textbooks, the company added.

Textbooks represent an 11 billion dollar industry, up from $8 billion in 2014.

This connection happens not only by means of collaborative development, review and testing, but also at conferences where faculty regularly decide on their textbooks and curricula for the coming year.

While they may not be as dynamic as an iPad, textbooks are not passive or lifeless.