Quote:
Originally Posted by mr ploppy
There's also the need to continuously replace perfectly good electronic items every year when the new version comes out with some minor improvement. And unlike books, when you throw them away they don't biodegrade. You could recycle them on Ebay, but whoever buys them will be replacing whatever they had, so somewhere along the line there will always be something thrown away.
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That is neither an inherent need, nor a common behavior. Mobileread has had numerous polls on the matter and even here among near fanatical readers less than half by a new reader every year.
I collect devices, but they stay in use or are passed on to friends who read. There are plenty of PRS 505 units still in use, incliding one in our home. Not sure what the average life of a unit is, but my old HTC Wizard lasted five years, and my wife's 505 is four years old.
Also,contrary to your assertion, a lot of people shop ebay who are too frugal to buy new. They aren't neccesarily replacing anything.