The book set was first published in Edinburgh in 1768, and it has been in print until this day. The final hardcover set -- available on Britannica's website for $1,395 (£894) -- will no longer be available when current stock runs dry.
"This has nothing to do with Wikipedia or Google," Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc president Jorge Cauz said. "This has to do with the fact that now Britannica sells its digital products to a large number of people." We're sure it has something to do with Wikipedia, though.
The leather-bound book-maker was not shy about entering the digital space. In 1989, the information outlet introduced the Compton's Multimedia Encyclopaedia on CD-ROM. The compression methods of the time didn't allow the entire Britannica to fit on a single disc, but the smaller student-focused Compton's Encyclopaedia fit snugly on an disc.
Britannica Online launched in 1994, and was the first encyclopaedia on the internet. Later that year, Britannica managed to squeeze the entire 32-book set onto a single CD. In 2000, the first mobile version goes live, on the Palm VII. By 2011, the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica was accessible on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch in a subscription-based app.
To mark the end of the print version, Britannica Online is available for free for a full week beginning 14 March. The company says that the online versions of the encyclopaedia now serve more than 100 million people around the world.
"This has nothing to do with Wikipedia or Google," Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc president Jorge Cauz said. "This has to do with the fact that now Britannica sells its digital products to a large number of people." We're sure it has something to do with Wikipedia, though.
The leather-bound book-maker was not shy about entering the digital space. In 1989, the information outlet introduced the Compton's Multimedia Encyclopaedia on CD-ROM. The compression methods of the time didn't allow the entire Britannica to fit on a single disc, but the smaller student-focused Compton's Encyclopaedia fit snugly on an disc.
Britannica Online launched in 1994, and was the first encyclopaedia on the internet. Later that year, Britannica managed to squeeze the entire 32-book set onto a single CD. In 2000, the first mobile version goes live, on the Palm VII. By 2011, the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica was accessible on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch in a subscription-based app.
To mark the end of the print version, Britannica Online is available for free for a full week beginning 14 March. The company says that the online versions of the encyclopaedia now serve more than 100 million people around the world.
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