Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkScribe
I think it comes back to whether the person is a heavy reader or not. People who don't read a lot can compromise. People like me, who read one or two books per day will not consider using a tablet. Older people who already have eyesight problems find that using an active screen for prolonged reading is detrimental to their vision. Many older people are using eReaders - check and see who is borrowing books at your local library. There is another issue. Many older people can't handle technology, they can't use a computer or a tablet effectively, they can't use a TV remote effectively in many cases, but they can use an eReader as it is so simple to operate. . (As long as someone else loads the books onto it.)
My Mother-in-Law is in a retirement "Resort" . When I visit I see dozens of old ladies with eReaders. The staff love them - it keeps them busy for hours every day.
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Again, on a personal level I agree with you. I, too, feel eReaders are vastly superior to tablets for reading. Neither I - nor most of the people here - are arguing from you on that point.
What we are pointing out is the simple reality. As much as we enjoy eInk, we are clearly in the minority. Regular readers are a niche. Readers who are as heavy as you (reading upwards of a book a day) are a small niche even among readers. A business cannot thrive in the long run when their customer base is that small. Not unless they are making a killing on every device sold (which eReader manufacturers aren't).
Add in the fact that even by your own admission, their own target demographic only buys devices rarely, and that is not a model that will survive for long. Sales will keep falling and falling, until eventually the numbers are small enough that it is no longer feasible to cater to that market.