Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:35238 comp.sys.apple:14832 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!bsu-cs!mithomas From: mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Michael Thomas Niehaus) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.apple Subject: Kinko's press release Keywords: new distribution desired Message-ID: <8398@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> Date: 25 Jul 89 03:07:42 GMT Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, IN, USA Lines: 59 Hot off of AppleLink... APPLE AND KINKO'S CALL FOR NEW ACADEMIC SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Increasing Demand for Faculty-Developed Software on Campuses Prompts Change CUPERTINO, California--July 24, 1989--In a move to further accelerate distribution of faculty-developed software to colleges and universities nationwide, Apple Computer, Inc. and Kinko's Copies announced their intention to replace the Academic Courseware Exchange with a new distribution system that will make academic software distribution more responsive to demands from the colleges of the 1990s. The Academic Courseware Exchange was established by Apple and Kinko's in 1986 to make faculty-developed software readily available to faculty and students at a reasonable cost. Since that time, software development on campus has flourished well beyond the two companies' early expectations. To meet the growing demand for academic software in the future, a more sophisticated distribution and marketing system is now necessary. It will require substantial resources for product management, marketing, developer support and consultation. Kinko's has decided not to take this next step in the software business because it would move the company away from its core business, a nationwide network of 450 copy centers located near college campuses. "It's time to take the business past the pioneering phase. When we examined our own strengths in light of the needs of growing the Exchange, we determined that Kinko's is not in the best position to further develop the business," said Keith Lawrenz, managing director of the Academic Courseware Exchange for Kinko's. The Academic Courseware Exchange, the first distribution service of its kind, makes over 200 faculty-developed software products available through Kinko's Copy Centers and by mail, at a cost of under $40 per package. Its best-selling packages include "Tarski's World" and "Turing's World" for philosophy courses and "Tools for Writers" for writing instruction. "Kinko's has been a leader in serving the academic courseware needs of universities and colleges. Through the Academic Courseware Exchange, Kinko's has been instrumental in building a strong distribution system for courseware where none previously existed," said Burt Cummings, director of higher education marketing for Apple. "As a partner, they've been invaluable in helping us establish Macintosh as a courseware development platform and an integral part of the curriculum. Apple is committed to continuing to provide a robust means for faculty to create, distribute and acquire curriculum software." During the next six months Kinko's and Apple will work together to select a distributor to develop the new software distribution and marketing system. Kinko's will continue to provide specific services to its Academic Courseware Exchange customers during the interim period before a new distributor is selected. These services include filling orders for products, providing catalogs, and product support. --- -Michael -- Michael Niehaus UUCP: !{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!mithomas Apple Student Rep ARPA: mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu Ball State University AppleLink: ST0374 (from UUCP: st0374@applelink.apple.com)