My daughter came in from San Francisco for Thanksgiving and I showed her my Sony reader and asked her opinion of the Kindle.

Background info: Erin is 27, an English major with a Masters in Journalism from Medil. She works for Wired Magazine and is about as tech-savvy as a person can get. With this background her opinion really surprised me.

She would never use a Sony Reader or a Kindle, or an independent ebook reader of any kind! Further, she stated, unequivocally, that no person in her age group would use one either.
from: http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/11/27/my-daughter-on-the-sony-reader-et-al/

I don't think she knows what she's talking about.

I'm under 30, and I have a Kindle. I know of at least one college student who has an ebook reader. In addition, while showing off my Kindle I have encountered 5 college students that are thinking about getting en ebook reader.

What does everyone else think?

Does his daughter provide the non-tech user perspective at wired.com ;-)

It seems that a lot of people are looking for a single device to do everything. I guess this is why feature creep is so common in cell phones. When was the last time you heard of a cell phone making a great cup of coffee? :D

I'm 26 and have ordered mine yesterday. Don't know anyone with such devices, though (-30 or +30). Some of my friends read a lot but prefer the "paper's smell"; some of them are quite curious to see my Cybook when I get it; most of them say it's too expensive; most of them agree that they'd buy one if it costed 100€/$.

I bought my Son one when the Credit card deal was 58 bucks.. (After spending 250 for mine aarrgghh...) He is 17 years old... He reads it all the time and is always asking me for any 'new' books I think he would like to read. I've bought a few on Sony connect for him that I otherwise wouldn't have bought. he prefers the reader to Quote.. "Real books!"

I think once people use it for awhile and get over any prejudices they might have they usually recognize the superiority of the reader and other ebook readers... immediately.

I'm 28 and anxiously waiting for mine from my mother for christmas. Had this come out 10 years ago, I would have wanted it then too. But then, I read a few books a week, so I guess I'm a nerd :)

Well.. how many people, in the 30ish age group, do you know that regularly read anything beyond their email or the back of their shampoo bottle? I'm 32 and besides my wife I can name only a few. Then again, my wife though my eb1150 was "interesting" after reading a bunch of short stories on it, and hasn't shown any huge interest in my Sony Reader. Yet.

Well.. how many people, in the 30ish age group, do you know that regularly read anything beyond their email or the back of their shampoo bottle? I'm 32 and besides my wife I can name only a few. Then again, my wife though my eb1150 was "interesting" after reading a bunch of short stories on it, and hasn't shown any huge interest in my Sony Reader. Yet.

That's a good point. But, to put that question in context we would first have to ask what percentage of the other age groups read? Is the percentage and absolute number of under 30 readers significantly less than the other age groups?

I don't think it is. But I really don't know.

If it was stated - There are less readers under 30, so there will be less under 30 bookreader purchases.

I might agree......... (c8




PCH

I think that older and elderly people have an increased proclivity towards reading; compared to those under 30. Of course I really don't have any hard evidence beyond time spent working at B&N through college, and knowing friends and family. *chuckle* Then again, somehow I can't see my great aunt using a Kindle; she's still scared of computers and I'm amazed that we got her to carry around a cell phone.

This woman might have small point though. I often wonder exactly who Sony, Amazon, and the other ereader peddlers, have decided to market their devices towards.

My daughter is 25 and really wants one. Mine.:grin: $300 is too much for her to afford.

My niece is 9 and she loves the iLiad and the CyBook. She allways asks me how sales are going, since i promised i will give her a CyBook, if i sell lots of eReaders. :D

Both of my kids (aged 13 and 16) are quite attracted to ebook readers. My younger daughter is the bigger reader of the two, and is currently using my eBw 1150. Neither of my kids like "smelly" books. :D

Then again, they might read on their phones if that were an option. (Our phones are too small and cheap to make that feasible.) But my younger daughter doesn't even bother to keep minutes in her phone -- I think she's only using it as a phone book, at this point.

I don't think we're exactly a typical "American" family. ;)

im 26, but admittedly, i wouldnt have bought my 500 w/o the sony card offer. its just not at the price point id be comfortable with yet. $300 can buy a lot of pbooks at half-price books! i still visit the $0.50 clearance rack and find all sorts of books ive been wanting to read

so what.
just like saying "no one under 30 gets a station wagon" .. then again you have a number of young people driving around with them.

i have never seen an eInk device in real life, but i can immagine that it is quite a neat viewing experience.
but would i buy a 400-dollar unit just for reading? i don't think i would. laptop + cellphone + bluetooth headset ... then add another device?
i think i'd prefer a smartphone with eInk screen :)

I have occasion to show my PRS500 to college undergrads pretty regularly (my wife's a professor so I find myself waiting for her on campus periodically). Obviously they're all under 30, and they're also generally quite interested in the thing ... but they'd be more interested if they could take notes on it. :shrug:

I just got an iLiad for my 24th birthday. Maybe I'm odd, but I'd rather have several devices that do one thing extremely well than one device that's mediocre at everything it does. I want a cellphone for clear conversations, and I carry a separate camera, because it takes better-quality photos than any cellphone camera. I wanted an e-reader so that I could read fully-page PDFs on it, and I don't think any cellphone with an 8 inch screen would sell.

I'm also a grad student, so reading PDFs is more important to me than the average 24 year old. The other grad students in my program all want an iLiad, after seeing what it can do, but the price is too high for most of them.

Welcome to MobileRead, capsizing! :welcome: Glad you found a device that does what you need to do.

The mental image of a cell phone with an 8" screen gave me a chuckle. :grin:

Welcome to MobileRead, capsizing! :welcome: Glad you found a device that does what you need to do.

The mental image of a cell phone with an 8" screen gave me a chuckle. :grin:It can also be used as a chair!

It seems that a lot of people are looking for a single device to do everything. I guess this is why feature creep is so common in cell phones. When was the last time you heard of a cell phone making a great cup of coffee? :D

When they make a screen technology that is easy on the eyes like e-ink but refreshes quickly enough for other applications, I'll want a sleek tablet/UMPC-type device that will be more multi-function. Until then, I'll be happy with a reader. I'm sure in 5 years we'll look back at these devices with a chuckle and marvel at how far we've come. That's just the way of things.

As for the original topic, I'm 36 but I've been wanting something like this since I was back in university. I watched the various readers come and go with interest but never got one because the issues of screens and content. If these innovations had happened earlier, I would've been under 30 with a reader. I wonder, though, if this is less an issue of age than generation. I think my generation reads more books and did when we were younger, too.

When they make a screen technology that is easy on the eyes like e-ink but refreshes quickly enough for other applications, I'll want a sleek tablet/UMPC-type device that will be more multi-function. Until then, I'll be happy with a reader. I'm sure in 5 years we'll look back at these devices with a chuckle and marvel at how far we've come. That's just the way of things.

As for the original topic, I'm 36 but I've been wanting something like this since I was back in university. I watched the various readers come and go with interest but never got one because the issues of screens and content. If these innovations had happened earlier, I would've been under 30 with a reader. I wonder, though, if this is less an issue of age than generation. I think my generation reads more books and did when we were younger, too.
The iLiad has a quasi refresh rate. Just the fact that you can see a drawing take shape as you do it would suggest so. I understand a big part of the power drain comes from this fact.

I'm 26 and bought my first eink device when I was 24...^^

I also read ebooks on my PDA before that, so I guess I'm in the "odd" group as well... :D

a great cup of coffee? :D

A "great cup of coffee" is a contradiction in terms. Civilized people drink tea :).

And enlightened folks drink hot chocolate. :jester:

Sissy stuff. Beer's the only way! Tough choice, I love wine too. Un bon gros rouge de Bourgogne.

Kidding. That could go on a long time.:grin:

I thought energy drinks were the norm today!

I'm not sure "energy drinks" and reading really mesh. Unless you're into "X-TREME READING"!

(And now MickD will jump naked from the hot air balloon while tied to a bungee cord and attempt to successfully read Purgatorio: Canto XXIII of The Divine Comedy. Let's go to the live head cam!)

I passed 30, but when MobileRead was started (to all intents and purposes: to talk about e-books and devices), I just turned 28 ;)

Well, I sort of agree with the statement. Maybe not 30 but definitely under 25. I have been discussing ebook readers on a few fantasy forums where I believe most of the members are students or young people age 15-25.

They are not interested at all.

There are a few issues. They are fans of certain writers/series. They buy books in the series ASAP when one is published and discuss it and re-read it. They would be deprived of this if they move to ebook reader.

First of all eBooks are not being published at the same time as hardback editions. So, fans of certain series would not be able to participate in discussion of the book within their circle, they would not be able to read a book that they were waiting for 1 year or more immediately, on a par with other fans who read pbooks.

Another issue is total absence of some of the eBooks.

There are no eBooks by Steven Erikson- Malazan Book of the Fallen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen)

There are no eBooks by Glen Cook - The Black Company.

(Well at least in amazon kindle shop, I didn't check other shops).

So, it is very difficult to introduce a very expensive, one purpose gadget to people (computer science/chemistry/medicine/law students, high school students etc) who cannot read their favorite books as easily as they can read pbooks.

There are no eBooks by Steven Erikson- Malazan Book of the Fallen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen)

Which sucks, this is one series I'd love to have in e-form. Does Transworld (his UK publisher) do any ebooks at all? I know TOR (his US publisher) doesn't do much of anything with ebooks, plus their still behind the UK releases so I'd rather find UK versions.

Which sucks, this is one series I'd love to have in e-form. Does Transworld (his UK publisher) do any ebooks at all? I know TOR (his US publisher) doesn't do much of anything with ebooks, plus their still behind the UK releases so I'd rather find UK versions.

I don't know. I have checked only Sonny Connect and Amazon Kindle shops.

For some reasons I doubt they would be somewhere else..

There are a few issues. They are fans of certain writers/series. They buy books in the series ASAP when one is published and discuss it and re-read it. They would be deprived of this if they move to ebook reader.

I think it has more to do with the kind of readers they are, rather than their age. It's not an uncommon attitude among voracious genre readers. That's part of why Harlequin went e early on. Heck, Baen even makes ARCs available in digital form.

Since fantasy is huge right now, maybe the fantasy publishers are more reluctant to try something new. ("But it ain't broke!")

I'm half way down 30 and I got a Sony Reader during last August, but I don't consider myself being part of an odd group. I think the reason there aren't many young people with such devices is that they either don't know anything about ebook readers or the don't know about the eink technology and consider they'll getting eye strain. Otherwise, when people see my reader (after explaining what this "thing" is), they usually get excited about it. Of course I'm also getting the "it's a waste of money" reactions, but these usually come from people that seldom read even paperbacks, let alone ebooks.

I'm 23 and I just ordered a Cybook. Most people I know don't know about e-readers let alone e-ink, but I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be interested. I don't remember how I came across the e-ink technology, but as soon as I had read about it, I knew I'd want one of those devices.

It's a pity though that there are so few German e-books ...

I've been thinking about the original premise of this thread, and the more I do, the more astonished I am that anyone would suggest that only people over 30 would be interested in any "new-fangled, e-lec-tron-ic de-vice" -- the irony of the claim is really thick.

Or maybe the gal thinks that "Under 30" is the new "Over 60." :tongue:

I'm 21, and recently bought an e-reader. I bought it after seeing a friend of mine (who's currently 19) with one, about six months ago. First gen Sony.

You guys have covered the arguments pretty well already, but as one of the younger ones in the crowd (seemingly, judging by the other ages in this thread) I thought I'd throw my weight into the mix. :)

Just so you know, I'm a 36-year-old fossil myself...

But I have to question the validity of the original statement (apart from the obvious response: "Who cares what under 30's are doing. What's that got to do with me?").

Anyway, is the super-tech-savvy young woman REALLY a good representative of the market she's supposed to represent?

And what's her reasoning anyway (just curious)? Why WON'T the youngsters want ebook readers? Because we have 'em?

I'm sure that by the time the kiddies get a little older they won't need ebook readers as we know them. There'll be something even cooler (and I'll be the oldest guy in line to get it).

:disguise:

I'm thinking that most people don't 'want' a reader because they know nothing bout them! .. or even that they exist in a lot of cases ..
My 6 year old LOVES hubby's iRex! .. She always wanted to read mine when I had it and has strongly expressed a desire to have one! lol .. by the time she's 'all grown up' I can't even begin to imagine where we'll be at with the whole 'e-reader experience' ..
Think someone voiced it really well when they suggested that there's not much reading of any kind goes on with most people! .. my brother only ever reads a magazine or a newspaper .. nothing where you stop, sit and read for any length of time ..
Loopy

Anyway, is the super-tech-savvy young woman REALLY a good representative of the market she's supposed to represent?

I think you might be on to something here. I'm of that category, and I know my tastes aren't representative of an entire category of the human race. I've been an ebook nerd since I was 22, and the only reason I waited until I was nearly 29 to buy a dedicated device is that I wanted the e-ink technology to mature a bit before diving in. I have a friend who is also a pretty heavy reader, and also quite a nerd, but I suspect she would never want a dedicated reader when she can use her tablet PC to read anything she wants. Another geeky girlfriend of mine loves reading ebooks on her PDA. To each her own, I say!

I'm 20 an I bought mine for about 300 Euros (225 without the taxes). Guess what that says about how much I like the device? Very :D

oops.

While I think that the original statement from the young woman is an unfair generalization about her generation, I also think it's unfair to say that under-30's only read mangas and shampoo bottles.

Personally, I'm over 30 and I can't get enough shampoo-bottle content for my Sony Reader.

If you're like me, check out:

www.shampoo-labels.com/Head&ShouldersVol1.lrf




SPOILER: The last line is "Repeat"
:smack:

I'm 25 and love the Iliad. My laptop is great, but even with 2 batteries it's limited to 7 hours away from a plug socket. With the Iliad I can read for 15hours without straining my eyes or burning my lap. I don't disturb other people with fan noise every few minutes and I can read in peace (except for people wanting to have a look at it:D) I have the choice of hundreds of books, my notes, manuals and reasearch with me at all times. If I worked in an office with mains power and rarely travelled to visit friends, relatives etc then maybe I wouldn't see the point, perhaps this is the case with this young lady?

The problem is that a lot of young people don´t care about written stuff (=books) at all.

As long as their mobile phone or ipod works it´s all right ...

But this hasn´t changed the last centuries. There was always a reading minority :) ...

btw: @McDoof: Whats interesting about shampoo bottles?

And I have to admit, I´m 31.

BUT ... :) ... I´m waiting for a good e-book reader for almost all my life. It´s not my fault that the technological development sucks =)

I don't think we should take her statement too literally. Saying NOBODY does <whatever> is just a figure of speech; it doesn't literally mean that not one single person does whatever the thing is, merely that the majority of people (in the speaker's experience) don't. When it comes to buying e-Book readers, this is very definitely true - the majority of people in any population sample would probably not buy one at current prices.

I've been wanting one since university. I thought the sheer bulk of my textbooks was ridiculous, and wanted to know why they all couldn't have been put on a tiny, slim portable device.

... at current prices.That's a pretty big qualifier, HarryT. :grin:

Although, I think if e-textbooks were available at reasonable prices a reading device might get pretty attractive to college students. But (and here's my pretty big qualifier), they'd need a much better feature set in terms of display size and annotation capabilities, etc. :shrug:

What's striking me is that she and many many commenters I have seen on all kinds of "geek blogs" repeat the same convergence mantra:
"I will never buy a dedicated reader, since my mobile phone is EVERYTHING converged".

And that's fine, to have all the functionality in one small device. It's just that I haven't figured out yet how the form factor converges, but hey, <sarcasm>I am but a humble engineer who develops these "everything converged" thingies, not a wired journo</sarcasm> Apparently the size is a minor problem.

Mikolaj

Size is an issue with ebooks but not a problem, I would say.

I originally bought my smartphone to read PDF's on the train but the screen is way too small. Personally, I don't want a tiny device to read ebooks. I want one that is the size of a decent page.

When's the last time you read one of those novelty matchbook-sized copies of the Bible or Huck Finn, for example? :)

When's the last time you read one of those novelty matchbook-sized copies of the Bible or Huck Finn, for example? :)

Ummm... you got me here, last time I read a matchbox-sized book was when I was a teenager. It wasn't Bible, but de Sade's 'Philosophy in the Bedroom' that we passed secretly among classmates. I'm not quite sure whether I understood the philosophical aspect of it :). But the size was actually a big asset given the circumstances. So - a big plus for reading on a smartphone :D