MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - "Friction" is why e-books adoption is slow

Kilarney · 08-27-2007, 03:06 PM

Here are some thoughts from a person who is just an average Joe and not a computer whiz. These are thoughts that I went through when I bought my Sony Reader (today!).

In rough order of concern:

1) In order to purchase an e-ink device, you need to be into books. And therein lies the problem... there aren't many e-books available. I have about 20 books on my Amazon wish-list. I think a grand total of 1 is available as an e-book. If the content isn't there, then what's the point?

2) The competing formats are a real turn off. Even if I can find a book that I'm interested in, there is a good chance that it might be in format other than LRF. I don't relish the idea of using cmd line programs to read something. An E-Reader should make life easier, not harder. I've already decided that PDF files are a total waste of time with the Sony Reader. That's too bad, since there is a ton of content in PDF format.

3) Price. The IPod is great because carrying around a CD player sucks. People are willing to pay extra in order to store a ton of songs on a device that's better than a CD player. Carrying around a book is easy. So an E-Reader can't command the extra price. (The Sony Card offer put me over the edge.)

I really like the idea of selling a physical medium that can be popped into an e-book reader. Why? Because I know that I own it. It's tangible. It's mine. I don't have to worry about servers, etc. These could also be sold at bookstores, so they wouldn't grumble too much to the publishers. How expensive could a 1mb SD card be? People like things that are tangible. It's much easier to get their mind around.

I also think that the marketing ploy that has the best chance of success is the environmental argument. Well educated people tend to read. These are people that are likely to be aware of environmental concerns. Imagine having a small media storage device next to a hard-cover with a sign that says: "Save a tree - but me." It think a lot of people would be swayed. Admittedly, the production of a media device has an environmental impact and doesn't use renewable resources, but who said that advertisers had to point that out. ;-)

08-27-2007, 03:06 PM	#85
Kilarney Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 100 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Sony Reader PRS-500	Here are some thoughts from a person who is just an average Joe and not a computer whiz. These are thoughts that I went through when I bought my Sony Reader (today!). In rough order of concern: 1) In order to purchase an e-ink device, you need to be into books. And therein lies the problem... there aren't many e-books available. I have about 20 books on my Amazon wish-list. I think a grand total of 1 is available as an e-book. If the content isn't there, then what's the point? 2) The competing formats are a real turn off. Even if I can find a book that I'm interested in, there is a good chance that it might be in format other than LRF. I don't relish the idea of using cmd line programs to read something. An E-Reader should make life easier, not harder. I've already decided that PDF files are a total waste of time with the Sony Reader. That's too bad, since there is a ton of content in PDF format. 3) Price. The IPod is great because carrying around a CD player sucks. People are willing to pay extra in order to store a ton of songs on a device that's better than a CD player. Carrying around a book is easy. So an E-Reader can't command the extra price. (The Sony Card offer put me over the edge.) I really like the idea of selling a physical medium that can be popped into an e-book reader. Why? Because I know that I own it. It's tangible. It's mine. I don't have to worry about servers, etc. These could also be sold at bookstores, so they wouldn't grumble too much to the publishers. How expensive could a 1mb SD card be? People like things that are tangible. It's much easier to get their mind around. I also think that the marketing ploy that has the best chance of success is the environmental argument. Well educated people tend to read. These are people that are likely to be aware of environmental concerns. Imagine having a small media storage device next to a hard-cover with a sign that says: "Save a tree - but me." It think a lot of people would be swayed. Admittedly, the production of a media device has an environmental impact and doesn't use renewable resources, but who said that advertisers had to point that out. ;-)