Quote:
Originally Posted by RHWright
Regarding the whole ebook vs. reader thought (not just this comment) and where the value lies:
In the end, without some sort of reader to read the file on, isn't the ebook valueless? So, does that mean ebooks should cost nothing and readers be much, much more expensive?
I don't think so, but that seems to be where this thought leads.
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No I don't think it follows. The fact is that you need both an ereader and an ebook together to be an alternative to a paper book. So your argument goes both ways - an ebook is without value without a reader but a reader is without value without an ebook. By that logic maybe the reader should be free.
Of course there are both free ebooks and free readers (in the form of reading apps). So there are a range of ways the cost of reader+ebook could play out. But I don't think that's really relevant to my argument because in the end it comes down to a choice:
Do I want to buy a) this ebook or b) this paper book? Assuming it's the same book (which is reasonable) and assuming I've got some kind of reader (or I wouldn't be considering the ebook as an option) then the ebook offers me certain features for this particular text by virtue of being an ebook. So again, whether I choose to pay the asking price comes down to whether I think those features have enough value to justify it.