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From a Cybook user perspective.
Problems:
It's still an emerging technology. There are still software and hardware issues (e.g. it can't be trusted to remember where you left off reading, search functions are non-existent, the screen itself is very fragile so the reader has always to be handled with care).
Imho, the CyBook interface is too clunky to be a practical solution for books that may be read non-linearly (text books, reference books etc.) where you want to skip back and forth easily.
You can't flick through an ebook as you would a pbook.
Motivation:
There's a lot of free literature available on the Interenet. I figured that for a couple of hundred pounds I'd be able to obtain the equivalent of many thousands of pounds worth of books - so it is a very cost effective solution for me.
Ebooks are also a way to free up space rather than storing pbooks.
I enjoyed reading on my PDA, but found it practically useless in sunlight.
The Cybook is more readable, and the longer battery life is a definite plus.
Content:
Although there is a lot of free stuff available on the net, quality is variable - although I think the overall standard is improving.
Purchasing from ebook stores is simple, and current exchange rates can make it economical. Hopefully new stores around the world will come onstream, so there'll be more opportunities to buy where the books are cheapest.
One downer is that you can't sell a book on to recoup some of the original cost.
Encouraging late adopters:
I think general readers would be encouraged by fairer pricing of ebooks.
Hardware and software reliability still needs improving.
They should be able to obtain units from local stores, where they can see them in action, and be confident about returning them if problems arise.
MobileRead gets many queries from people wanting to try ebooks but unsure about which one is best for their needs - they need to be able to physically compare and contrast before taking the plunge.
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