iTunes U estimates one billion downloads of education content

Apple has announced that the number of downloads in the iTunes U has reached one billion over a period of less than six years of official launch.

“It’s inspiring to see what educators and students of all types are doing with iTunes U,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “With the incredible content offered on iTunes U, students can learn like never before―there are now iTunes U courses with more than 250,000 students enrolled in them, which is a phenomenal shift in the way we teach and learn.”

Apple notes that more than 1200 colleges and universities and more than 1200 K-12 schools are using iTunes U, offering thousands of public and private courses through the service. More than 60% of weekly through iTunes U are outside the United States.

iTunes U debuted as a partnership with Stanford University in October 2005 before running in an expanded form in mid-2007. A year ago, Apple launched iTunes U allocated within the framework of educational activities using the iPad as a platform for learning in the future.