Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Amazon Kindle

Notices

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 05-02-2009, 07:03 PM   #391
thorn
Connoisseur
thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.thorn knows the square root of minus one.
 
Posts: 91
Karma: 7940
Join Date: Feb 2009
Device: currently: ipod touch
??

i have been posting to amazon's fora for a couple of months 'without logging in' -- because i'm permanently 'logged in', at least for that purpose. if it 'knows your name' at the top of the screen, you are logged in to a point where you can post to the fora. to check your account or buy anything non-kindle-bookish, it prompts again for your email address & password.

i just tested this. i just clicked 'not [my name]' to logout totally, and tried to post a comment. the submit button at that point said "sign in and post." it will not just let anyone post under any old name.

that's why the kindle-forum troll couldn't just pop in under a gazillion different names. he did change his name once, and it changed the name on all of his past 'trolly' posts.

i believe this can be confirmed independently. give it a try and see if i'm not correct.
thorn is offline  
Old 05-03-2009, 11:47 AM   #392
catsittingstill
Guru
catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
catsittingstill's Avatar
 
Posts: 643
Karma: 551634
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Kindle 1.0.8, iPod Touch, Kindle Keyboard
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alisa View Post
I frequently find myself turning here for things like this. It's handy little inflation calculator.

BTW, it's $21.51 and $633.53, respectively. So the Kindle is actually a little more than half the price of the old reader. That's not bad. Internet connections are a bit more now but you get a lot more functionality out of broadband so I would argue it's worth more.

Oh, and I'm curious. How much did ebooks cost back in 98?
I had dial-up until very recently. I got it for 13$ a month. So the price of that has come down quite a bit too.
catsittingstill is offline  
Advert
Old 05-08-2009, 03:07 PM   #393
markm
Junior Member
markm doesn't littermarkm doesn't litter
 
Posts: 9
Karma: 110
Join Date: Apr 2009
Device: Netbook
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirbruce View Post
Miniaturization is also a big factor that you did not touch on. The Kindle is half the weight of the first eBook, and less bulky, which were major drawbacks of early eReaders.
Same can be said for notebook computers, which have fallen in price from an average of $2,000 in 1998 to around $700 today.
markm is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 03:42 PM   #394
markm
Junior Member
markm doesn't littermarkm doesn't litter
 
Posts: 9
Karma: 110
Join Date: Apr 2009
Device: Netbook
Thumbs down

Quote:
Originally Posted by catsittingstill View Post
This is an interesting discussion, however to be really meaningful all the dollar amounts would have to be translated into constant dollars. Because $15.95 in, say, 1995, bought a lot more than it does today. Ditto for $500 in 1998.
Ok, then let's be meaningful.

In 1998 the cost of a decent laptop computer was $2,000.
Today, the cost of a decent laptop computer is $700 (ignore netbooks).
In 1998 the cost of an e-book reader was $500

$700/$2000 = 0.35
$500 * 0.35 = $175


Once again, why haven't e-books progressed at a rate similar to notebooks?
markm is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 04:27 PM   #395
numindast
Enthusiast
numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.
 
numindast's Avatar
 
Posts: 34
Karma: 296
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chicago
Device: K2, DX (had PRS500, 505, 700)
Quote:
Originally Posted by markm View Post
Once again, why haven't e-books progressed at a rate similar to notebooks?
Because the technology needed to make an appealing e-book reader wasn't commercially viable in 1998 -- that's one way of looking at it.

Example: computers today are so powerful, and so capable, that the basic model of computer is dirt cheap, and many people only need basic models to check their email and do basic web surfing. On the other hand, gamers are still spending $2000 on their hardware.

I believe it was entirely necessary for a better display technology. Unfortunately, the general population's view of available display technologies does not include eInk, generally speaking. When I show my eBook device to someone who has never seen or read about eInk, the first thing they ALWAYS say is "Wow, that screen is much better than I thought!" Even Bezos points this out in his K-DX message up on Amazon's home page at the moment.

But since eInk hasn't hit critical mass to make the panels cheaply, it still costs money. As does the EVDO modem, the Sprint wireless service, etc...

Once the technology for modern eBook devices hits commodity status, then you'll see the price drop that you're looking for.

Am I making sense?

Last edited by numindast; 05-08-2009 at 04:29 PM. Reason: to clarify that john-q-public has no idea eInk is so cool
numindast is offline  
Advert
Old 05-08-2009, 04:29 PM   #396
krisk
Wizard
krisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipse
 
krisk's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,148
Karma: 8229
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: on the road again
Device: kindle
there were ebook readers in '98?
krisk is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 04:31 PM   #397
numindast
Enthusiast
numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.
 
numindast's Avatar
 
Posts: 34
Karma: 296
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chicago
Device: K2, DX (had PRS500, 505, 700)
Quote:
Originally Posted by krisk View Post
there were ebook readers in '98?
Well, if you counted Palm Pilots ... certainly not like ebook readers as we have come to view them today.
numindast is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 04:32 PM   #398
krisk
Wizard
krisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipse
 
krisk's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,148
Karma: 8229
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: on the road again
Device: kindle
I don't know. were palm pilots a viable ereading device in 98?
krisk is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 04:34 PM   #399
numindast
Enthusiast
numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.numindast has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.
 
numindast's Avatar
 
Posts: 34
Karma: 296
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Chicago
Device: K2, DX (had PRS500, 505, 700)
Quote:
Originally Posted by krisk View Post
I don't know. were palm pilots a viable ereading device in 98?
Sure, they were viable. For the time. For people that didn't mind a tiny screen and hard-to-read LCD tech. But there wasn't any alternative, so...
numindast is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 05:32 PM   #400
krisk
Wizard
krisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipsekrisk can illuminate an eclipse
 
krisk's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,148
Karma: 8229
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: on the road again
Device: kindle
is this a fair comparison? did palm pilots function on e-ink? were they as similar to todays e-readers as 1998 laptops are to 2009 laptops?
krisk is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 06:14 PM   #401
Thomas Ryan
Connoisseur
Thomas Ryan has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.Thomas Ryan has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.Thomas Ryan has a complete set of Star Wars action figures.
 
Posts: 62
Karma: 250
Join Date: Feb 2009
Device: Kindle
Quote:
Originally Posted by markm View Post
Ok, then let's be meaningful.

[...]

Once again, why haven't e-books progressed at a rate similar to notebooks?
One word answer: Volume.

One example: When you make a zillion laptop screens, all alike, you can drive the unit cost down. When you make 400,000 (or whatever it is) Kindle screens, on some weird-fangled e-ink, unit cost does not go down.
Thomas Ryan is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 08:04 PM   #402
sirbruce
Provocateur
sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.sirbruce ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
sirbruce's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,859
Karma: 505847
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Columbus, OH
Device: Kindle Touch, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, iPhone 3GS
Palm Pilot, Newton, etc. But as numindast said, they weren't really commercially viable ereaders because they couldn't meet most consumer expectations. It's not really a fair comparison.

Still, why haven't ebook readers come down in price faster? Probably low demand at the price point. VCRs remained very expensive for years before they finally became cheap enough, and the supply became large enough, that the mass market could justify buying them. One this starts the pressure to make them more cheaply increases, which results in faster rates of adoption, and you get mass-market success.

Amazon has been successful in addressing the supply problem and in lowering the price, to the point that they've now sold more ereaders and ebooks than anyone else before. Once they've sold 2 million or so Kindles the price should start coming down.
sirbruce is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 10:31 PM   #403
Phebe
Connoisseur
Phebe doesn't litterPhebe doesn't litter
 
Posts: 85
Karma: 124
Join Date: Dec 2006
Device: Sony PRS 500 and Kindle 2 and iPad and iPhone
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfernald View Post
I don't really feel that bad for people that get their account closed. I know for a fact there is a certain type of customer who is trigger-happy about returning stuff. They feel it is their God-given right to return anything and everything they buy. Target has had to substantially change their return policy because of abuse by customers. These people raise the cost of stuff at Amazon and other discount stores for the rest of us. Amazon is just protecting their viability by removing their worst customers, and let there be no doubt if you are returning stuff you ARE among their worst customers (because most customers don't return anything).
Yeah, I pretty much never return anything, but I had a coworker who used to return EVERYthing! and she bought a lot by mail order too. She'd buy a coat, send it back. Buy dresses, return them.

She had a major case of buyers remorse as a chronic condition, I decided; and she tended to feel generally guilty. I would guess guilt about spending money was part of the reason she returned so much.

I suppose a store system might try for a general purge of all high-rate returners.
Phebe is offline  
Old 05-08-2009, 11:56 PM   #404
whitearrow
Guru
whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.whitearrow ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 808
Karma: 2260766
Join Date: Apr 2008
Device: Kindle Oasis 2
I had the first Palm Pilot. You couldn't have paid me to read an entire book on it.
whitearrow is offline  
Old 05-09-2009, 12:03 AM   #405
Wetdogeared
Storm Surge'n
Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Wetdogeared ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Wetdogeared's Avatar
 
Posts: 5,773
Karma: 8213195
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Lobster Capital
Device: S0ny PRS-300/350/505/700/T1
Quote:
Originally Posted by krisk View Post
there were ebook readers in '98?
Rocket Ebook (1998-2001?)

Last edited by Wetdogeared; 05-09-2009 at 12:08 AM.
Wetdogeared is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Tell Us Your Favorite Banned Book - It's National Banned Books Week EatingPie Lounge 96 10-12-2010 02:19 PM
sharing Kindle account = sharing Amazon account? wong1234 General Discussions 5 05-23-2010 08:09 PM
Why Macmillan was banned from Amazon LCF News 76 02-19-2010 06:58 PM
Amazon Brick and Mortars Coming to England Daithi News 19 12-06-2009 07:34 PM
Buy Broken Amazon Kindle (for registering to my amazon account) cynoclast Flea Market 7 12-30-2008 06:53 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:25 PM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.