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Old 02-01-2010, 05:14 PM   #57
zacheryjensen
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zacheryjensen has learned how to read e-bookszacheryjensen has learned how to read e-bookszacheryjensen has learned how to read e-bookszacheryjensen has learned how to read e-bookszacheryjensen has learned how to read e-bookszacheryjensen has learned how to read e-bookszacheryjensen has learned how to read e-books
 
Posts: 229
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Utah, USA
Device: iPad, iPhone 4
You're never going to find parity in pricing between eBooks and pBooks because frankly, the offer is just different. The average customer is also different. The usage patterns are different. The technological limits and capabilities are different. And the people trying to make the comparisons are also quite different.

The only thing eBooks and pBooks have in common are the words inside them, and the people creating them.

I hate paper books, and have for as long as I've been reading on computer screens, well before eBooks were popular. I got interested in reading because of what I read on computer screens. I used to read fan fiction, and collaborative fiction every single day (and participate as well) as early as age 10. We're talking on the order of decades before standalone ebook readers were a viable product.

So with that said, I will probably never understand how a paper book fan decides what prices are fair or not. To me, all paper books are an archaic delivery mechanism and a hinderance to my enjoyment of what they are delivering. I can't possibly see them as being valued as high as an eBook, DRM not withstanding. Even with a "discount" in mind because of DRM, I still find eBooks to be far superior in concept and reality, and it's because of this that I'll probably never agree with you olde pbook shoppe types on the matter of price.

What remains to be seen is how the market acts, and we've got years before it will be apparent. If digital music is taken as even a vague indicator of what to expect with eBooks, I'd guess we have about another 5 years before the eBook market is competitive with paper books, and perhaps even longer (I guess it depends on how many elderly luddites exit that market right?) so discussions like this one are kind of a pointless exercise in flame-baiting, don't you think?
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