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Re:Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad by davidblair on Thursday January 19, 2012 @11:56AM (#3485315)
The reason Blackboard doesn't have competition is due to the patents they hold. They have made a commitment not to sue free, open source projects, but as soon as you start charging money they are ready to protect their IP rights.
Re:Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad by whatthefish on Thursday January 19, 2012 @02:01PM (#3486039)
If they can't sue you, then they just buy you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANGEL_Learning

Re:Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad by gamble on Thursday January 19, 2012 @04:27PM (#3486824)
That's standard practice in education. It's very hard to sell new products in that market, and customers rarely switch products regardless of how badly they're treated. Acquisitions are the only way to grow quickly. Every large company serving the education market is a patchwork of milch cows acquired over the years and squeezed until dry.
Re:Apple unveils iTunes U for iPad by baddox on Thursday January 19, 2012 @05:31PM (#3487172)
That's something I suspect Apple doesn't have to worry about.