With iTunes, we tend to focus on the music, TV shows/movies, and apps. But there's one , less glamorous segment of the digital download site that's often overlooked in the media: iTunes U. And that educational catalog has now reached over 300 million downloads.

The section of the popular download site from Apple offers free access to more than 350,000 audio and video files from educational institutions around the world. More than 800 universities have active accounts, including such prestigious schools as Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, University of Melbourne, and Universite de Montreal. Nearly half of them distribute their content publicly through a dedicated area within the iTunes store, including course labs, demonstrations, and lectures; as well as more fun fare, like sports highlights and campus tours.

"iTunes U makes it easy for people to discover and learn with content from many of the world's top institutions," explains Eddy Cue, Apple's Vice President of Internet Services. "With such a wide selection of educational material, we're providing iTunes users with an incredible way to learn on their computer, iPhone, iPod or iPad."

According to Apple, iTunes U has now become "one of the world's most popular online educational catalogs."

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