Quote:
Originally Posted by ac4lt
I think the kindle dx, que, skiff and other large format readers do have reason to worry. For the price of the kindle dx you can now buy a device that is far more functional. Yes, you give up the e-ink advantages, but you also give up the e-ink disadvantages.
I doubt iPad will have much impact on the small format reader market but I think it will draw many people who might have gone to a kindle dx or other competing reader unless the price point goes down for the big e-ink devices, particularly for the que.
I suspect most people will find a 10 hour battery good enough for practical use if the claim is true in the real world. The only real disadvantage is lack of daylight readability but the tradeoff in content versatility may draw a lot of people.
Weight, might be an issue for extended reading. A 1.5 pound reader might be tiring for extended reading though kindle dx is only 5 ounces lighter.
Would I get one??? I'm not sure.
I want a large format reader. It would be fantastic photo presentation device. It would be a great way to take notes when doing genealogy research. But, I'm going to have to hold one in my hands and play with it to see.
But for many people, particularly those not already owning a dedicated e-reader, I think it will be a hit.
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I am only going to mention the Kindle and the iPad, since those are the only 2 readers so far, that will truly be 'international'.
I think it will be a big hit all around the world and change everything regarding mobile ereading.
As an example: In my case, to buy the KindleDXi from Amazon.com, (it cannot be directly ordered though a 'local' Amazon) it will cost about $600! Every third or fourth book I will try to buy - will not 'available to my geographical location'. All the 'free' books for USA citizens, cost $2 to the international community.
If I don't live in Mexico, Japan or Hong Kong, the internet browser will not be available.
Now for the BIG one IMHO:
The iPad is multi-lingual!!! That means people from all over the world can use it straight out of the box.
Every country/language has their own Apps AFAIK, (here in Japan for eg., there seem to be thousands of Japanese Apps in the iTunes store - PLUS all the English ones) and all the new cool built in Apps, like for eg. the calender, photos, iWork , iBooks etc. etc. will work in their OWN language, plus of course all the thousands of Apps already in the iTunes store. I think few English speaking people in America realize the importance of this...
The USA is only one country! The ipad will be released simultaneously worldwide and on a massive scale.
There are many countries that Kindle and other readers aren't shipped to at all. The literate world is moving rapidly towards ereading, not only English speaking Americans... this is the device that will change everything and kids that sniggered about mom & dad's Kindle, will now WANT an iPad!
Kindle's UI is English only, it only reads books. Only reads ENGLISH books natively. End of story.
Just my 2 cents...