[HarryT]

Originally Posted by dhbailey

First concerning the contrast -- I've had my reader for several weeks now and can only say that I don't have any problem with the contrast. I've been able to read it in all the same ambient lighting conditions I can read dead-tree books in, and I need additional lighting in all the same situations I need additional lighting for dead-tree books.

That's exactly the way to look at it - it needs good light, just like a paper book does. The complaints, perfectly justifyably, come from people who have previously used back-lit devices which can be used in very poor light, something which the Reader can't be.

I would add, however, that my experience has been that Mac users are more likely to be early-adopters of new technology and I agree that Sony is missing a potential huge expansion of sales of the reader to those who only use Macs and who don't really want to install Windows on their Macs.

While I can understand the economics of the situation which would say that Sony's action in not bothering with a Mac version of Connect is likely to have little effect on their corporate bottom line, I also can see that if they made things easier for Mac users, there would be many more Readers in people's hands, and when all the PC users see their Mac friends using the Reader, they might be more likely consider buying one for themselves.

That's what I find slightly puzzling, you see. You say that you have "Mac friends". I don't; I certainly know people who own Macs, but they all have PCs too, just as I have both Macs and PCs, and always have had, for the simple reason that while Macs are extremely good at some things, there's so much software around for PCs that everyone I know who owns a Mac also owns PCs. That's why I personally consider it something of a "non issue" whether or not Sony support the Mac, because everyone that I personally know with a Mac (including myself) would simply run it with their PC instead. This will, I think, become even more the case now that Intel-based Macs can boot Windows natively, a point which Apple are actually using as a selling point for Macs!