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Reading, too, is my main hobby (well, playing guitar... and Euro-style strategy games like Catan, PowerGrid, etc.). Plus I travel 60% of the time, which is a salient point I should have mentioned: the main appeal to me is the ability to travel with a library of new and old favorite books.
The TV analogy is interesting, but it breaks down a bit when I think it over. Once I have a TV, and a "subscription" to a cable service, then the content is essentially free. The TV has a lot of "add-ons" to allow it other capabilities (game consoles, VCRs, music channels, etc.). Multiple people can watch a single TV. I can record content. And so on. In the market, what does TV compete against? Movies at the cinema? Tickets to a live sporting event or concert? In that relative economy, TV is a much less expensive alternative.
In the book economy, I can buy a trade cover edition of a book for about $17.00, essentially the same price as a new release ebook, and the paper book's reader is free: my eyes, and the navigation (my hands) is extremely versatile. That's the market where ebook readers live, and I'm finding it very difficult to justify the price in terms of a single convenience (having multiple books at hand). If this convenience were combined with a few other factors, such as excellent navigation and MUCH cheaper content, then I'd have an easier time justifying the price.
Thank you for your excellent reply.
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