How aggressive is Apple getting with its educational iPad pricing?

I learned from a source last week that Apple is offering the entry-level 16GB iPad to schools, school districts, colleges and universities for $230. That's about the same price as a Kindle 2, and reinforces earlier reports that the manufacturing cost of the iPad is far below the sales price. It also indicates that Apple is very serious about getting the iPad into the hands of as many students as possible. They've turned the iPad into almost an impulse purchase, especially for college students.

At Apple's introduction of the iPad, there was no mention of any textbook publishers or titles, but that content will have to be there in order to justify iPad sales into the academic market. I expect a flood of textbook and educational publisher announcements next month, to coincide with the first shipments of the iPad and to try to snag sales for the school year starting in September. It's going to be a long spring and summer for educational eBook vendors.