Kindle not needed for textbook market

[markbot]

Most college/grad students have laptops. Laptops are just as good as ereaders for ebooks. You don't read a textbook for hours at a time (u read like a chapter or 2 a day)....and if u do read several hours at a time the eye strain isn't as much of an issue because u r probably also typing notes or writing notes or looking away or doing a problem on a piece of paper...or modeling on excel. thus, in terms of behavior, ebooks on laptops are probably better than ebooks on readers....due to the suite of software avilable on a laptop. of course u still have access to this if u use the ereader...but then the ereader becomes moot if u do.

what is the advantage of textbook on ereaders? better for eye strain and more portable. these benefits aren't enough to justify the additional cost of a dedicated device. a perfectly good laptop does the trick just fine.

my school makes available books in electronic form via webites....for some books.

[whitearrow]

Originally Posted by markbot

Laptops are just as good as ereaders for ebooks. You don't read a textbook for hours at a time (u read like a chapter or 2 a day)....and if u do read several hours at a time the eye strain isn't as much of an issue because u r probably also typing notes or writing notes or looking away or doing a problem on a piece of paper...or modeling on excel.

This may be true for some students, but to post it like it's some incontrovertible universal Truth is pretty silly. It certainly wasn't true for me, either as an undergrad or a law student.

[Andybaby]

Its not right for everyone. but for some. it's a great thing. for those who have Eye strain, you will know that a laptop is no replacement

[markbot]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

This may be true for some students, but to post it like it's some incontrovertible universal Truth is pretty silly. It certainly wasn't true for me, either as an undergrad or a law student.

reread my post but imagine that I wrote..."IMHO" in front of everything.

[NuclearWinter]

Dedicated ebook readers have a big advantage in battery use as well.

[Gideon]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

This may be true for some students, but to post it like it's some incontrovertible universal Truth is pretty silly. It certainly wasn't true for me, either as an undergrad or a law student.

That. I've used my Kindle a lot since I've gotten it for school. It's been great not to drag around 10 different books. Wish I just had to read "a chapter or two." I've hours of reading each day, and I read fast.

[Ervserver]

plenty of posts on the Amazon forums of people complaining about eye strain and the Kindle 2

[rgeorg]

IMHO - I basically agree with Markbot. Both my husband and I are university faculty. I will get an ereader - but not for work/school - just for fun-reading. It is an issue to lug around 2 devices. Also - and I think key - is that as the university learning environment moves towards an online, collaborative learning model using web-enabled technology such as course management systems (Blackboard, moodle for example), students need to do much more than read texts. They are required to browse, download, markup, upload,take notes, write essays/papers, interact, etc -- netbook (which have all-day batteries available) and laptop territory.

IMHO - The best hope is the dual (Pixel Qi - model) use screen laptop that is in plan (by someone I think!).

Don't misunderstand - I think that the new Kindle is a good move forward for some markets. I am eagerly looking forward to feedback from the university trials starting this fall.

BTW - I may have to design/propose some sort of technology trial for my small school in the coming year, so I am very interested in all opinions on this topic (esp. those not in agreement with me and that offer alternative suggestions!)

[rgeorg]

I was just looking at this thread regarding future electronic textbook use in California high schools -
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46467

Perhaps the high school is the better niche for Kindle DX use with textbooks? No general WWW access would be a positive rather than a negative.

[thorn]

troll.

[taosaur]

If I were in college right now, I would definitely be using a netbook and not a dedicated reader for texts. For that matter, I wouldn't touch any current eInk device at half the list price. The technology and the market are finally moving with the advent of the Kindle, but they still have a long way to go.

[detayls]

My only thought is that buggy whips were not needed once the automobile took hold.

Of course, electronic book Readers will be a huge success and old style paper books, including textbooks, will cause a decline in the use of printed books.

Those book readers will obviously be full color and full function and will almost certainly be the same as your main personal computer. They will do everything for you. It's just a question of time.

How could it possibly be otherwise?

[dmaul1114]

I'd have never liked either for books when in school. Just easier to highlight and annotate a paper book, easier to flip through quickly when cramming etc.

Pretty much same reason I still only use ereaders for leisure reading despite working in academia and reading a lot of books and journal articles (as I've outlined way too many times here already!).

[forkyfork]

Originally Posted by Ervserver

plenty of posts on the Amazon forums of people complaining about eye strain and the Kindle 2

Really? I looked on the mobileread forums and all I could find was this:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...+strain+kindle

I remember reading about people complaining about the anti-aliased fonts on the kindle 2, but that can be solved by just installing new fonts.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by markbot

Laptops are just as good as ereaders for ebooks. You don't read a textbook for hours at a time...

That depends entirely on the subject and the reader. As a liberal arts student, you could easily have to spend several hour reading texts. Series of pauses, by the way -- e.g. cessation of reading to take notes -- is actually detrimental to the learning process, as you are constantly distracted.

E-book readers also have substantially better battery life; so you could tote it to class all day long, then to the library, then read it in your dorm room for several hours without needing to recharge or plug in.

Originally Posted by markbot

what is the advantage of textbook on ereaders? better for eye strain and more portable. these benefits aren't enough to justify the additional cost of a dedicated device. a perfectly good laptop does the trick just fine.

Better reading surface, better battery life, fewer distractions, and depending on how you work, better workflow. E.g. I find it's very helpful to have my note-taking device separate from my reading device (be it book or e-book reader). It's a pain to constantly switch windows between a text and an outliner or note app. (And with an e-book, I don't have to break a paper book's spine to hold it open long enough to take notes.)

Last but not least, this is not a zero-sum scenario. Some students will only use a laptop, some will use a dedicated e-reader. Some may not be able to afford both, but considering the cost of tuition these days, $500 for an e-reader that saves you on the costs of textbooks may not be quite as onerous as you currently think.