[bob_ninja]

So in summary we have 2 camps.

The geeks prefer Sony/Cybook/Iliad for support of existing formats including non-DRM formats. The others prefer Kindle for ease of use.

Nevertheless, I think that the original point is spot on. I think that the non-geek camp will still avoid this device except for a small minority that read so much that the high Kindle price is not a problem.

Despite all the comparisons and similarities with music/iPod/mp3/etc. there are also significant differences. For instance, mp3 files were in wide use well before iPod was introduced. MP3 format was already established as a de facto standard and was open enough for a wide plethora of tools and software, including the key ability to move content to and from CDs. The outcome would be very different if iPod didn't support MP3 format from the start.

At this time de facto standard for books is still pBook. As others pointed out all of the electronic formats have issues and there is no standard. We cannot easily move content from pBooks to eReader and back as you could with your CDs. We don't even have any assurance that the DRM formats of today will be around for a long time. People wouldn't put so much effort into converting their musing into MP3 if there were doubts about its future. There are a lot of doubts about all DRM formats for books today.

All this is to say that the situation is far more complex and muddled for books now then it was for music when iPod was introduced. As pointed out, adding yet another DRM doesn't help.

The assertion is that Kindle will be successful simply for the convenience. Fair enough, it has some strong convenience attributes, as discussed. However, if it is more convenient that other devices, we still don't know if it is more convenient than pBooks. After all that is one of the main strengths of pBooks. You don't need any power or special hardware. No DRM, keys, registrations, no company telling you how/when you can use your content, etc. So the missing analysis is if Kindle is more convenient and easier to use than pBooks. I think not considering the high upfront cost of $400. That money buys a lot of paperbacks and magazines!!!

In fact for the wider public the main question is why bother with ANY eReader including Kindle. If you are using simple transient content that you don't care to keep for a long time but simply need somehting to read on the bus or train then there is no need to spend $400 upfront just to be able to access the same old paperback/magazine you'd get on paper. After all paperbacks are not much bigger than Kindle. And you can sit on it, throw it, jump on it,... and there won't be a broken screen, etc.

Why bother with DRM and registrations, etc. I can walkup to any bookstore or magazine stand and by pContent for cash. Doesn't get much easier than that.

So I think that Amazon DOES need to attract everyone including us geeks because we are the pathfinders that find a way/reason to switch to new tek and show it to the wider public. For every sale to a geek you get several spinoff sales to others as we evangilize our toys.

So yes, this is the wrong approach and Amazon has created yet another dead end gizmo that will piss off a lot of people when they drop the support in the future.

P.S.: Sorry, should've been in " Amazon Kindle might be the worst thing that could happen to e-books?" posted in the wrong place