No one under 30 would buy an ebook reader

[Nate the great]

My daughter came in from San Francisco for Thanksgiving and I showed her my Sony reader and asked her opinion of the Kindle.

Background info: Erin is 27, an English major with a Masters in Journalism from Medil. She works for Wired Magazine and is about as tech-savvy as a person can get. With this background her opinion really surprised me.

She would never use a Sony Reader or a Kindle, or an independent ebook reader of any kind! Further, she stated, unequivocally, that no person in her age group would use one either.

from: http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/11...-reader-et-al/

I don't think she knows what she's talking about.

I'm under 30, and I have a Kindle. I know of at least one college student who has an ebook reader. In addition, while showing off my Kindle I have encountered 5 college students that are thinking about getting en ebook reader.

What does everyone else think?

[kovidgoyal]

Does his daughter provide the non-tech user perspective at wired.com ;-)

[ricdiogo]

I'm 26 and have ordered mine yesterday. Don't know anyone with such devices, though (-30 or +30). Some of my friends read a lot but prefer the "paper's smell"; some of them are quite curious to see my Cybook when I get it; most of them say it's too expensive; most of them agree that they'd buy one if it costed 100€/$.

[RWood]

It seems that a lot of people are looking for a single device to do everything. I guess this is why feature creep is so common in cell phones. When was the last time you heard of a cell phone making a great cup of coffee?

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by RWood

It seems that a lot of people are looking for a single device to do everything. I guess this is why feature creep is so common in cell phones. When was the last time you heard of a cell phone making a great cup of coffee?

When they make a screen technology that is easy on the eyes like e-ink but refreshes quickly enough for other applications, I'll want a sleek tablet/UMPC-type device that will be more multi-function. Until then, I'll be happy with a reader. I'm sure in 5 years we'll look back at these devices with a chuckle and marvel at how far we've come. That's just the way of things.

As for the original topic, I'm 36 but I've been wanting something like this since I was back in university. I watched the various readers come and go with interest but never got one because the issues of screens and content. If these innovations had happened earlier, I would've been under 30 with a reader. I wonder, though, if this is less an issue of age than generation. I think my generation reads more books and did when we were younger, too.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Alisa

When they make a screen technology that is easy on the eyes like e-ink but refreshes quickly enough for other applications, I'll want a sleek tablet/UMPC-type device that will be more multi-function. Until then, I'll be happy with a reader. I'm sure in 5 years we'll look back at these devices with a chuckle and marvel at how far we've come. That's just the way of things.

As for the original topic, I'm 36 but I've been wanting something like this since I was back in university. I watched the various readers come and go with interest but never got one because the issues of screens and content. If these innovations had happened earlier, I would've been under 30 with a reader. I wonder, though, if this is less an issue of age than generation. I think my generation reads more books and did when we were younger, too.

The iLiad has a quasi refresh rate. Just the fact that you can see a drawing take shape as you do it would suggest so. I understand a big part of the power drain comes from this fact.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by RWood

a great cup of coffee?

A "great cup of coffee" is a contradiction in terms. Civilized people drink tea .

[Roy White]

I bought my Son one when the Credit card deal was 58 bucks.. (After spending 250 for mine aarrgghh...) He is 17 years old... He reads it all the time and is always asking me for any 'new' books I think he would like to read. I've bought a few on Sony connect for him that I otherwise wouldn't have bought. he prefers the reader to Quote.. "Real books!"

I think once people use it for awhile and get over any prejudices they might have they usually recognize the superiority of the reader and other ebook readers... immediately.

[desidrj]

I'm 28 and anxiously waiting for mine from my mother for christmas. Had this come out 10 years ago, I would have wanted it then too. But then, I read a few books a week, so I guess I'm a nerd

[sea2stars]

Well.. how many people, in the 30ish age group, do you know that regularly read anything beyond their email or the back of their shampoo bottle? I'm 32 and besides my wife I can name only a few. Then again, my wife though my eb1150 was "interesting" after reading a bunch of short stories on it, and hasn't shown any huge interest in my Sony Reader. Yet.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by sea2stars

Well.. how many people, in the 30ish age group, do you know that regularly read anything beyond their email or the back of their shampoo bottle? I'm 32 and besides my wife I can name only a few. Then again, my wife though my eb1150 was "interesting" after reading a bunch of short stories on it, and hasn't shown any huge interest in my Sony Reader. Yet.

That's a good point. But, to put that question in context we would first have to ask what percentage of the other age groups read? Is the percentage and absolute number of under 30 readers significantly less than the other age groups?

I don't think it is. But I really don't know.

[PHugger]

If it was stated - There are less readers under 30, so there will be less under 30 bookreader purchases.

I might agree......... (c8




PCH

[sea2stars]

I think that older and elderly people have an increased proclivity towards reading; compared to those under 30. Of course I really don't have any hard evidence beyond time spent working at B&N through college, and knowing friends and family. *chuckle* Then again, somehow I can't see my great aunt using a Kindle; she's still scared of computers and I'm amazed that we got her to carry around a cell phone.

This woman might have small point though. I often wonder exactly who Sony, Amazon, and the other ereader peddlers, have decided to market their devices towards.

[yvanleterrible]

My daughter is 25 and really wants one. Mine. $300 is too much for her to afford.

[tribble]

My niece is 9 and she loves the iLiad and the CyBook. She allways asks me how sales are going, since i promised i will give her a CyBook, if i sell lots of eReaders.