What does the iPad mean to the eReader market?

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by astra

Any potential book reader who would be interested in iPad would not be interested in eInk in the first place So, how could iPad affect eInk based eBook reader world?

That's just silly to try to speak in such absolutes.

I have a Kindle and love it. But I'm very interested in a tablet device--and reading on it is a large part of it.

I need a big screen with stylus support for reading and marking up academic PDFs. I need a big color screen for magazines and newspapers.

I love the e-ink on my Kindle, but I have no interested in something like the Kindle DX, the Que etc. when I can get a color tablet that can do all my large screen reading needs and do video, internet games etc. Especially with the iPad setting the price below all but the Kindle DX (and only $10 above it).

So I'll wait for a tablet that fits my needs, and not pay more for a large screen e-ink device that's slow, laggy and would only get used for a few work related reading/markup activities.

[Talldog]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Now some will still buy the large readers for sure, including those here who prefer reading even novels on say a Kindle DX vs. a smaller screen.

That would be me. I like the page being as large as a normal book page.

But I'd say tablets killed the chance of large screen e-ink devices really taking off.

Why? Tablets have been around for years.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Talldog

Why? Tablets have been around for years.

Tablet PCs have been around for years. They were big, bulky, poor battery life (on par with laptops) etc. They weren't comfortable to hold and read, or surf the net on.

Tablets like the iPad are pretty new. i.e. Tablets that aren't trying to be full featured laptops with a touch screen.

I just can't see many people buying a Kindle DX, or especially the pricier Que or iRex models when they could get a tablet device for the same or less cost.

Some will, like you who want e-ink and a large screen. But I think more people will take the color screen and all the tons of functions it can do over a large e-ink screen that's only good for reading text.

[astra]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

That's just silly to try to speak in such absolutes.

I have a Kindle and love it. But I'm very interested in a tablet device--and reading on it is a large part of it.

You might be very interested in tablet but not for the same type of activities you use your kindle for, such as fiction literature. Don't you understand the difference? I am not saying that anyone who has 5-6-8-10" eInk device would not be interested in iPad.
For example, just because I have Sony Reader PRS-505 I am still very much interested in Canon Mark II 5D.

P.S. Even for 10" devices it will have a very minimal effect because of the same reason. 10" is for PDF technical ebooks. One cannot read it from backlit screen as comfortable if at all.

P.P.S. There are no 100% absolute rules and there always will be exceptions but in general I stand by everything I said.

[fugazied]

E-ink will still be around but let's be brutally honest... The iPads pricing will really put pressure on large $350+ e-readers.

A dedicated reading device using e-ink might be better for plain text books, but when the tablet is at a similar price (when looking at the Kindle DX vs iPad) and the iPad also offers: full Internet browser, email, applications, music, games, movies, color cooking books, tv shows, color comics, color magazines, photograph viewer, assisted GPS all in color and with a touch screen.....

The mainstream will choose the color touch device, it's a very simple consumer decision, one device does 2-3 things the other does 100 (with all of those apps). That leaves the dedicated grayscale reader to the 'hardcore' readers who either hate Apple, hate the 10 hour battery life or hate LED backlit screens.

Amazon will look at this simple comparison and realize 90% of consumers who are given those two options will take the color tablet. That means massive pressure on Amazon management and designers. They will HAVE to offer something cheaper and color. They will be scurrying to release it. That means even if you hate the iPad you will benefit from it's introduction.

[astra]

If I were to buy ebook reader with 10" screen to read tons of IT ebooks in PDF it would be eInk only. I cannot read those PDFs on my laptop, netbook, desktop because I get eye strain.
Forget about battery.

Eyes.


Well....battery life comes into equation too.

[Talldog]

Originally Posted by fugazied

E-ink will still be around but let's be brutally honest... The iPads pricing will really put pressure on large $350+ e-readers.

Of course it will. That's the way it has always been. And prices will inevitably come down on those ereaders, making a lot of people happy.

[fugazied]

Originally Posted by astra

If I were to buy ebook reader with 10" screen to read tons of IT ebooks in PDF it would be eInk only. I cannot read those PDFs on my laptop, netbook, desktop because I get eye strain.
Forget about battery.

The display technology in the iPad is better than that in your laptop or desktop monitor (most likely). It's LED backlit IPS. By all accounts (everyone who has had hands on loves the screen) it looks incredible, so if eye strain was the main reason for skipping it, perhaps go into an Apple store and look at the different in quality first. It's a far better screen than most LCD monitors.

http://www.displaysearchblog.com/201...he-apple-ipad/

That being said, if you need a device for IT books, e-readers are terrible already. I usually just read them on the laptop because I usually need to play with the code in the books and copy chunks of text.

[astra]

My netbook is LED backlit. I see absolutely no difference between the netbook and my laptop.