Quote:
Originally Posted by ardeegee
A good analogy. "Pocket" calculators used to be bulky, cost hundreds of dollars, and require a 9-volt battery because they had vacuum tubes for a display. Now? College math students might need a fancy calculator costing $50, the typical buyer might buy one that cost $5 or $10-- but almost everyone would have all their needs met by a calculator that costs a buck.
Now, I doubt that we will see $1.00 ebook readers because of the size of the display compared to a pocket calculator-- the bargain ebook readers'll probably set you back a full five bucks.
(BTW, thanks to PRS+, my Sony Reader is now my calculator.) |
My "pocket calculator is 25+ years old and still works... big buttons, big LCD nd solar powered without an instant-on battery. I expect it to work another 25 years...
Much of the "slowness" of e-readers (other than e-ink limitations) is the firmware. And as the CPU's get faster, the more bloat will be in the firmware. Or why I use Word 97...
By the by, if you follow MP-3 music players, they peaked as a product in 2007...They are now made cheaper (i.e. crappier), and dropping features.