Quote:
Originally Posted by sfernald
I actually have a bad feeling the birth of the ipad is the beginning of the end of the dedicated ereader. I had the same feeling about 3dfx when nvidiA released the TNT so long ago.
To survive I think eink readers need to drop down to $99 and be the size of the Sony pocket reader. That is the only niche I think that can endure.
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And that's what will happen. E-reader prices will drop rapidly with or without the iPad and other tablets.
They have to in order expand the market. There's only so many people willing to pay $200-300 plus for a gadget to read novels on. The vast majority of people don't read enough to justify that expense (or just prefer paper).
As prices drop you expand beyond just the hardcore avid reader market more. And there's a sizable niche of hardcore readers who are into e-books who want dedicated readers with reflective screens. And in a capitalist world, companies aren't going to ignore a chance to make money off that niche.
Prices will continue to drop and dedicated readers will stay around. Again, it's not some zero sum end game where only tablets or dedicated readers can survive. They can both co-exist indefinitely. Along with PDAs, netbooks, smartphones, pcs, laptops and anything else that can display e-books.