The Xplanation has an article with this title today. They discuss Microsoft’s decision to cancel the Kin smartphone and point out how this is partly a result of Microsoft being unclear about its core business. They go on to say:
In spite of the nomenclature — textbook publisher — these companies’ value is not tied to a specific print or digital form called the textbook.
In spite of the need to support different content distribution platforms, their real value is not to be found in classroom or institutional technologies like homework management systems or clicker devices.
In spite of current opportunities related to integrating content to performance evaluation and learning outcomes, assessment is not part of the core value for these publishers.
Like Microsoft, textbook publishers do have a core product — content — and future success means not diverting resources or fragmenting visions for products that do not have content as their primary DNA.
