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Old 01-06-2009, 03:45 PM   #16
Alisa
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Considering the general availability of these pirated files and the quite incredible number of downloads, not just today but even 5 years ago, I'm not that sure this is a brand new trend. although I'd certainly admit being able to put them on a device as confortable as an e-ink reader is brand new.
Precisely. It's not about supply at this point. Yes the books are out there. The demand for ebooks just hasn't been there to the extent it would make it threatening. The vast majority of the reading public still reads paper and doesn't even consider the idea of downloading a book, pirate or legal. The used book trade costs them way more than ebook piracy. I think that may shift as devices get better and cheaper.
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Old 01-06-2009, 03:49 PM   #17
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But come on, MOST of the people over 50 are not tech-savy in the broader sense. They might learn how to use any device, but it is not as much a part of their lives.
But, if you are a good business person you learn the market forces that affect your product... and technology is a big one. Back in the 1800s book publishers didn't have competition from TV and Movies. It's not about being tech savy but about being business savy.

Although, I do agree that some people get set in their ways, whether they are 30 or 60 and don't like to make changes. I would argue that this makes for a bad business person. Then again, Warren Buffet is still making billions and he says he doesn't invest in tech at all, because he doesn't understand it, the market or the business.

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Old 01-06-2009, 03:59 PM   #18
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Ah, but in changing businesses, you always have the small set of business/tech savvy minority who understand the deep changes about to come; and then everyone else, just trying to stop the tide. Amazon was built during the .com bubble: young guys, seeing what is about to come. There were many who said they would fail and it took ten years for everyone else starting selling there wares on the net as well as in stores.

Sure, it won't matter in the end: I strongly believe reasonable priced eBooks are the ineluctable future. I just wished for the sake of my wallet that that ineluctable future would come sooner rather than later.
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Old 01-06-2009, 11:23 PM   #19
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@DDHariman:The top management of any major publisher has got to be 40 or more. The very top top management, more like in their 50s. Those people have had 40 years with paper books only. The old hands must have spent 30 years of their lives with one business model only. And at that age, chances are, you're computer illiterate, at least to some extend, unless of course you're a classy penguin called Bob.
Actually, I heard the publishing industry is a dying breed because young folks don't read anymore

I am over 40. I manage a team of analysts and software engineers...average age of probably 30. I am the only one with an ebook reader. The rest are still reading paper (One did try Stanza on his iPod but only because his dinosaur boss told him about it )

That being said, Bob is classy and exceptional.
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Old 01-06-2009, 11:29 PM   #20
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Amazon was built during the .com bubble: young guys, seeing what is about to come.
btw- Jeff Bezos was born in 1964
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Old 01-06-2009, 11:43 PM   #21
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btw- Jeff Bezos was born in 1964
OK, let's have a show (wave) of hands...

Who's older than Jeff Bezos and readily embraces new technology but more particularly is "into" ebook readers...

Count me in...
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Old 01-07-2009, 01:02 AM   #22
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OK, let's have a show (wave) of hands...

Who's older than Jeff Bezos and readily embraces new technology but more particularly is "into" ebook readers...

Count me in...
I'm old too.
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Old 01-07-2009, 01:17 AM   #23
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Precisely. It's not about supply at this point. Yes the books are out there. The demand for ebooks just hasn't been there to the extent it would make it threatening. The vast majority of the reading public still reads paper and doesn't even consider the idea of downloading a book, pirate or legal. The used book trade costs them way more than ebook piracy. I think that may shift as devices get better and cheaper.
I don't think they will even have to get cheaper. I foresee textbooks moving to primarily electronic format at Universities in the next five years. This will create a rapidly growing public awareness of ebooks.

I don't see an ebook reader competing with a book. I see it competing with a bookcase, so as long as the price is competitive with a bookcase then they will do alright.

=
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Old 01-07-2009, 01:19 AM   #24
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OK, let's have a show (wave) of hands...

Who's older than Jeff Bezos and readily embraces new technology but more particularly is "into" ebook readers...

Count me in...
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Old 01-07-2009, 03:38 AM   #25
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OK, let's have a show (wave) of hands...

Who's older than Jeff Bezos and readily embraces new technology but more particularly is "into" ebook readers...

Count me in...
Only by two years, but a friend of mine's mum, well into her sixties has appropriated her daughter's BeBook and simply loves it.
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Old 01-07-2009, 03:50 AM   #26
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I will be 50 next year.

Steve Jobs is older than Bezos. So is Bill Gates

Anyway, ebooks are expensive because you have bad karma and that forces you to see them as expensive. My karma is a better in this regard and I think they are pretty cheap and frequently free.
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Old 01-07-2009, 04:19 AM   #27
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btw- Jeff Bezos was born in 1964
DARN, I'm from 1965
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Old 01-07-2009, 05:03 AM   #28
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Argh, so many old geezers waving their hands just to show me wrong!

I'm 10 years short form 1964, and I'm ALREADY set in my ways!!!
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Old 01-07-2009, 07:13 AM   #29
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Who's old?
Quote:
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OK, let's have a show (wave) of hands...

Who's older than Jeff Bezos and readily embraces new technology but more particularly is "into" ebook readers...

Count me in...
I'm 12 years older than jeff B. & in e-reading big time!
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Old 01-07-2009, 09:16 AM   #30
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Actually, I heard the publishing industry is a dying breed because young folks don't read anymore

I am over 40. I manage a team of analysts and software engineers...average age of probably 30. I am the only one with an ebook reader. The rest are still reading paper (One did try Stanza on his iPod but only because his dinosaur boss told him about it )

That being said, Bob is classy and exceptional.
Here, we make the joke that education makes sure people don't like to read anymore after they finish high school.

But, I think, with the other ways of entertainment these days, people find it easier to watch a movie from the book rather than read the book (even though you miss around 90% of the contents...)

Not everybody read everything they could get their hands on... One reason for me to start reading electronically is because I'd have to buy a very big mansion to keep all the books I'd love to have.

About the price of ebooks, I think that depends on where you live. For me, electronic books are generally much cheaper than paper books. Not even taking into account the fact that the euro is worth more than the dollar, often the dollar price is lower than the euro price. (10 euro vs 7 dollar for the same book).

(my question would be, why aren't those "out-of-print" books not republished in electronic form!)
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