[Timboli]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

.....You mentioned the iPod as a success. It wasn't a success because it tried to mimic the appearance of a Walkman. It succeeded because it did what it was designed to do and it did it better than what had come before.

Nothing to do with the Walkman in my view. Never found them particularly good. If you read all my posts, I talk about more than purely imitating a book. In fact I am more about emulating what is good about a good physical book. And books have been around for a long long time, and are very well-loved by a huge number of people. They have in fact stood the test of time.

Arguments could be made that both Kobo and Amazon are trying to do for e-readers what Apple did for MP3 players. They may not be your cuppa, but the Nook ST, the original Aura and the Oasis all tried to be different than what was currently on the market.

Maybe. But you could also posit they are somewhat lame, like all the MP3 Players that preceded the iPod, and still continued for some time afterward, despite the example. In my view it is about understanding ... which is why so many didn't get it and failed to emulate the success of Apple's iPod.

One of the major hurdles e-books have are periodic articles like this one, where people hold forth on why e-books aren't as good as paper while admitting they've never tried an e-reader. I was that guy up to the point I bought my first Nook: http://thefederalist.com/2016/09/27/...ce-real-books/

Talking about ebooks and ereaders are two different things.

I was a convert long before a decent enough ereader became available. So it has never been an issue for me whether ebooks are good enough, just when the device you read them on comes of age. In my view, they haven't matured enough yet, and are still mostly in the realm of a toy almost. And let's be honest, many are happy with that. Many like their tech toys, gizmo's, plastic doodah's, etc.

As I said, iPad's and Tablets will continue to grab ever bigger slices of the potential ereader market, for a ton of obvious reasons, many already mentioned.

That mean's the E-Ink reader will continue to become more of a niche only product. Unless it offers something, beside a better read for your eyes, that the tablet form doesn't.

Hell, you need only look at how many are happy to pay for hardcover books, when paperbacks are much cheaper. People want a better reading experience if they can get it. And many hardcovers are heavy buggers.

Many want to sit back and cuddle almost with a book, by the fire in a rocking chair, so to speak. Many love the feel and smell, not just the look. It is about an experience. A lot more to divulge yourself of, when sitting down with a tech device, that looks all too techy. Some of us want an easier journey to other worlds. A good traditional book is easier to do that with.

In time, with the right approach, an ereader within the proper housing, can be better than a physical book. That is my belief. An ereader already has a lot going for it. Cripes, I even prefer to read an ebook these days. Font and lighting benefits just two major ones among many ... especially with an easy on the eyes E-Ink reader.

Many are very sad to see the traditional humble book die a slow death ... me too. We need more than just a bunch of text, to play tribute to it. I want to feel, that I am not just reading yet another screen ... every moment of the day.

Let's put some friendly magic into our lives in this increasingly tech based world.

We owe it to ourselves. Look at how much time we are going to be spending with these devices, no doubt ever increasing. Let's do it in style and comfort .... pleasure even.