iTunes U Claims One Billion Users

Apple is spreading the wealth -- the wealth of information.

The Cupertino company's iTunes U application has been downloaded one billion times, according to the San Jose Mercury News. That's one billion users retrieving free educational content from universities, libraries and museums, the newspaper reported.

iTunes U's success shows a growing acceptance of online education around the world, according to the newspaper. The model is very readily accepted at Stanford University, an early partner in the iTunes U offering and one that has generated 60 million downloads by itself.

Some 250,000 students are currently enrolled in iTunes U courses, Apple proudly said in a news release.

Entry-level classes can now be offered at a much lower cost via a model called MOOC, or massive online open courses. Community colleges in the South Bay are offering basic math classes for $150 via the MOOC.

iTunes U has become much bigger in recent years, with 700 million dowloads in the last three years. About 60 percent of its users are from overseas.