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Originally Posted by Argel
I'm intrigued that so many people seem enthusiastic at the idea of buying ebooks from a bookstore. Is there evidence of any demand for this from existing users?
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We don't know.
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It sounds rather like iPod users going to a record store to download music. They don't - and they would probably just laugh if you suggested it.
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The two aren't comparable. iPod users are generally downloading individual tracks, not full albums. The equivalent for a book would be getting a chapter at a time.
Paper books aren't going away. Pbooks and eBooks will co-exist for the foreseeable future. People go to bookstores now to buy the paper versions. If they have a reader, why shouldn't they be able to buy eBooks in the same trip?
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Personally, as I've said before, I think that bookstores selling liseuses is like turkeys voting for Christmas. But maybe I'm missing something.
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You are. Where
would you buy a reader?
Folks at MR may be comfortable with online ordering, but not everyone is. And a reader has intangible factors like look and feel. For a lot of folks, the tipping point will be able to hold one in their hands and play with it. You can't do
that online.
Partnering with retailers who sell books is a natural for a reader manufacturer like Sony. They sell devices, through retailers, now. The are trying to reach people who
read, and give them an opportunity to actually see and try the product before purchase. Where else might you suggest they find them?
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Dennis