MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Ebook readers

safjazz · 01-13-2008, 11:11 AM

You can't commit to an e-book reader. I get that. I used a PDA for a year before I purchased an e-book to read on it. I was hooked after that. I didn't know what the experience of reading an entire book on a PDA was like until I tried it. I looked at the Sony Reader in the Borders store dozens of times over about six months before I purchased one. I didn't know how much I would enjoy it until I had one.

I'm not aware of an e-book reader being tied to one store. I read multiformat books from Fictionwise all of the time. It's true that the quality varies because the titles tend to be from small presses, but I find that to be true of books that make it to the NY Times Bestseller list, which are published by large houses. Between Sony Connect, Fictionwise, and Project Gutenberg, thousands of titles are available to the average consumer who doesn't want to break DRM.

With the emergence of the .epub format and the way the music industry is going in regards to DRM, I have a feeling that your legitimate concern about DRM will not be as much of an issue in a year or two.

Will I challenge your conclusion that "all current e-book readers will die"? Of course not. They will die. Is anyone truly disputing this? When I was a little girl in the 1970s, we had a 19 in. black and white Zenith TV that was for the kids' use. That TV lasted about 25 years. Can I go out to Best Buy today and buy one? I wouldn't want to even though it was highly reliable. I have a Magnavox HDTV today. It's superior. I want a superior e-book reader in the future. Does this make me a techno-freak or am I reflecting the attitude of the "average consumer?"

Here comes the part where I address your challenge. I can't use it for all of my paperback needs (I'm assuming here you mean novels or other books that are mostly text). How could I? Only a small fraction of books are available digitally. I read such a variety of books that I can't always find what I want electronically. However, I still bought an e-reader. Does that make me a techno-freak fond of "useless gadgets" or am I an average consumer who likes the features an e-reader offers?

In the future, I think my dad will be able to answer your challenge. I showed my 76-year-old dad my Sony Reader. He loved the legibility. I would say he has average technical skills. Will he buy one? No. He wants a Kindle because he saw it in Newsweek, and he likes the idea of buying books wirelessly. Will he care about DRM? No. He wants to read a book once and doesn't care what happens to it later. I think average consumers are like that. Keeping books forever tends to be what bibliophiles do and your challenge seems to exclude them.

My stepmom wants me to let her know when Amazon has Kindles in stock again, so she can buy my Dad one for his birthday.

Is my dad an average consumer? Yes. Is he a techno-freak that loves to buy useless gadgets? No. We kept a black and white TV for a little over 25 years because it still worked. Will he find the books he wants? Since he is a NY Times Bestseller kind of reader, I don't think he'll have a problem. Does that represent the average consumer? I would say yes because that's how the books become bestsellers is that the average reader buys them.

I can't find any report on real sales figures for the Sony Reader. I do know that the SonyStyle store has been out of stock for weeks. In my opinion, that could be because of the media coverage about the Kindle has made people aware of the Reader. Maybe we'll hear a positive report of sales in the future.

However, I don't think you should get an e-reader. Seriously. Wait until it's absolutely perfect for you and has what you want. Then, it won't be a waste of money for you.

It definitely hasn't been a waste of money for me.

01-13-2008, 11:11 AM	#80
safjazz Member Posts: 12 Karma: 20 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Georgia Device: Sony Reader PRS505	Techno-Freak Versus Average Consumer You can't commit to an e-book reader. I get that. I used a PDA for a year before I purchased an e-book to read on it. I was hooked after that. I didn't know what the experience of reading an entire book on a PDA was like until I tried it. I looked at the Sony Reader in the Borders store dozens of times over about six months before I purchased one. I didn't know how much I would enjoy it until I had one. I'm not aware of an e-book reader being tied to one store. I read multiformat books from Fictionwise all of the time. It's true that the quality varies because the titles tend to be from small presses, but I find that to be true of books that make it to the NY Times Bestseller list, which are published by large houses. Between Sony Connect, Fictionwise, and Project Gutenberg, thousands of titles are available to the average consumer who doesn't want to break DRM. With the emergence of the .epub format and the way the music industry is going in regards to DRM, I have a feeling that your legitimate concern about DRM will not be as much of an issue in a year or two. Will I challenge your conclusion that "all current e-book readers will die"? Of course not. They will die. Is anyone truly disputing this? When I was a little girl in the 1970s, we had a 19 in. black and white Zenith TV that was for the kids' use. That TV lasted about 25 years. Can I go out to Best Buy today and buy one? I wouldn't want to even though it was highly reliable. I have a Magnavox HDTV today. It's superior. I want a superior e-book reader in the future. Does this make me a techno-freak or am I reflecting the attitude of the "average consumer?" Here comes the part where I address your challenge. I can't use it for all of my paperback needs (I'm assuming here you mean novels or other books that are mostly text). How could I? Only a small fraction of books are available digitally. I read such a variety of books that I can't always find what I want electronically. However, I still bought an e-reader. Does that make me a techno-freak fond of "useless gadgets" or am I an average consumer who likes the features an e-reader offers? In the future, I think my dad will be able to answer your challenge. I showed my 76-year-old dad my Sony Reader. He loved the legibility. I would say he has average technical skills. Will he buy one? No. He wants a Kindle because he saw it in Newsweek, and he likes the idea of buying books wirelessly. Will he care about DRM? No. He wants to read a book once and doesn't care what happens to it later. I think average consumers are like that. Keeping books forever tends to be what bibliophiles do and your challenge seems to exclude them. My stepmom wants me to let her know when Amazon has Kindles in stock again, so she can buy my Dad one for his birthday. Is my dad an average consumer? Yes. Is he a techno-freak that loves to buy useless gadgets? No. We kept a black and white TV for a little over 25 years because it still worked. Will he find the books he wants? Since he is a NY Times Bestseller kind of reader, I don't think he'll have a problem. Does that represent the average consumer? I would say yes because that's how the books become bestsellers is that the average reader buys them. I can't find any report on real sales figures for the Sony Reader. I do know that the SonyStyle store has been out of stock for weeks. In my opinion, that could be because of the media coverage about the Kindle has made people aware of the Reader. Maybe we'll hear a positive report of sales in the future. However, I don't think you should get an e-reader. Seriously. Wait until it's absolutely perfect for you and has what you want. Then, it won't be a waste of money for you. It definitely hasn't been a waste of money for me.