[Timboli]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Ereaders are a very niche market. I looked that up recently.

For sure, but it is way bigger than just a few years back, but since the rise of the tablet/ipad, rate of expansion has slowed dramatically.

But not that many people read enough to offset the cost.
Which I figure is a pretty big factor.

Mmmm ... yes & no. My understanding, is that book lovers aren't necessarily ereader lovers, and I know many who read plenty but haven't gone ereader, and they have plenty of money too. Often, it is cost that drives others to an ereader, especially as it doesn't take that many physical books to pay for the cost of an ereader. That said, many publishers are playing games, and it is often just as cheap if not cheaper to buy a paperback. So while, yes an ereader cost might be a factor, it is more likely ebook prices that can be a deterrent or just not enough difference to be a motivator ... which publishers well know.

So now when we are talking people that only read paper are we talking about readers like my daughter who reads on a daily basis or are we talking the ones that maybe read a book a month or year.
The second group has no real incentive to buy an ereader.

More like the first group than the latter. The latter are most likely to only go the way of an ereader for tech joy ... or have some issue an ereader solves.

There is an awful lot of older people who fit in the first group, who unlike the young, are less motivated to get an ereader, in my experience, despite the number of books they constantly read and despite having plenty enough money and despite having eyesight issues. They are the group that need incentivizing/educating. The young in that group though, with their lack of worldly sense, usually, are just gonna go tablet or iPad, especially as cost is usually a factor for them, and multiple uses is important. They will say, I look at a tablet/ipad screen and my eyes are fine, and any contrary medical facts they will no doubt ignore, mostly.

Older users, especially once they start getting headaches (focus issues, etc) from tablet use, and many do, will be more likely to go E-Ink, once they realize there is a significant difference and it is meaningful for them and their reading joy.

I was serious though about if you can think of a mass appeal ereader, do talk to Michael over at goodEreader. I understand he tries to be innovative.

Despite what I said earlier, I will take a look, because I have barely heard of goodEreader, but my estimation, is it will take a big company with lots of money to do the justice needed, and have the balls for any seeming risk. In a sense, to do what I think is best, it would be like housing an ereader inside a book-like enclosure, which I imagine, will not be cheap initially and the result would need to be attractive to potential customers.

Here is another way of imagining my vision.
Remember how people sometimes hollow out a hardback novel a little, to secrete something inside. Well imagine something similar for an ereader, but the top few pages, are only cut out enough (rectangle) to see just the screen. Close the book and it looks like a book, and can even sit in a bookshelf. Open it up, and except for the screen, which can look quite paper-like with E-Ink, it looks mostly like a book still. If the cover, front and back, are thick enough to be protective, and a clasp holds the front closed, then what a delicious ereader it could be. Even more so, if the front is transparent and we have an eventual color E-Ink, and your current book's great artistic cover is showing. That would be a dream for a techboy like me ... best of both worlds. Even the back in the top of the range model, could be induced to show the blurb ... or the front at a click of a button. Maybe even a button to cycle through covers and blurbs, without really turning the device on. That would mean browsing with a full size cover picture for each ... exquisite.