Quote:
Originally Posted by teh603
That would require a device to be made with the developing world in mind. We've seen a few tries- the One Laptop Per Child program, India's attempt at a super-cheap Linux tablet, and the like; but nothing that has really caught on.
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Does the "developing world" still rely on hand copied manuscripts by monks in monasteries? Or does the "developing world" have mass printed books just like the "developed world"? No, the technology isn't there yet, but it's clearly headed that way. Cell phones are ubiquitious
everywhere these days, even some very undeveloped parts of the world, becaus the technology
is there, and it is now superior to old land-line technology - there's a lot less infrastructure to build.
Eventually, ebook readers will cost less to make than a - single - paper book to print. Partly, this will be the increasing price of paper books as quantities go down, but mostly, it will be the price of the electronics going down (as they have cnosistently for the last 3/4 of a century). And the needed local infrastructure to produce and distribute ebooks is significantly less than paper books. You have to ship each paper book out to West Nowhere with no roads individually, but an ebook reader can hold thousands of books, and only has to be shipped once. The books can be downloaded over the cell phones they probably already have today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by teh603
You also have to deal with illiteracy rates in the developing world.
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How is that an ebook issue? How is that not
exactly the same issue as with paper books?