Women and older people more likely to adopt ereaders

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by OneandonlyDoc

I don't know....I've spent the last fifteen years in front of a computer screen and my whole life in front of a television, and reading on an LCD still gives me a headache about half the time...so I'm not sure that's quite it.

I think you're probably the exception rather than the norm.

[Joseph R]

Single male here, 31. I bought my first e-reader three weeks ago, after a summer student at work showed up with one and starting reading it during break time. After doing small talk with him, I decided to get myself one. At first, I did not do much research before buying but by looking at the demos at Staples, I saw the difference between lcd and e-ink (it is very bright inside that store). I was able to get a nice leather case (Targus) for the blackberry Playbook, which fits the Kindle perfectly for 15$, instead 49.99 as advertised. "We are dumping stock! They aren't selling!", he told me.

[Dimwit]

I was given one from my father who'd had given one to my mom. Both are 78.

I think the proper through line with all these is that ereaders are the ideal tech. Advanced enough that it's an improvement over what was available but simple enough that it doesn't complicate the task. They do one thing well and that's good enough. The one thing that aggravates me over here is the proliferation of excellent cell phones in Europe that have the same ideal. Almost no bells or whistles, just a basic phone, well engineered with excellent ergonomics -- large buttons, easy to read screen, etc. We need the same type of thing over here, in damn near everything, not just in ereaders.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I think you're probably the exception rather than the norm.

Probably like whole threads on MR from all the exceptions... let alone all the discussions scattered across the web... all exceptions...

[shanghaichica]

I bought my first dedicated reader at 26, but had been reading on my iPhone for a few years before that. I've also been into the idea of a portable reading/book storage device since I was a teenage. It just took me so long to find the right one.

[birdbrainbb]

I agree with what someone said up-thread: I think younger people are more inclined to buy multi-purpose gadgets instead of dedicated ones. I'm 23 and I got an iPod Touch first, way before I decided to get a dedicated ereader. I wanted the versatility that the Touch has! (And then, later on, I wanted a better screen for reading books, lol.)

[elizilla]

Originally Posted by Dimwit

The one thing that aggravates me over here is the proliferation of excellent cell phones in Europe that have the same ideal. Almost no bells or whistles, just a basic phone, well engineered with excellent ergonomics -- large buttons, easy to read screen, etc. We need the same type of thing over here, in damn near everything, not just in ereaders.

Preach it! I have a friend who is in the hospital after a massive stroke. I brought him an MP3 player with an audiobook, but it's too small and complex - he cannot operate it. I have looked everywhere, I cannot find an MP3 player with large simple controls that can be operated by a person with one working hand and poor vision. Even the ones sold for small children are tiny and complicated. Grrr.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by elizilla

Preach it! I have a friend who is in the hospital after a massive stroke. I brought him an MP3 player with an audiobook, but it's too small and complex - he cannot operate it. I have looked everywhere, I cannot find an MP3 player with large simple controls that can be operated by a person with one working hand and poor vision. Even the ones sold for small children are tiny and complicated. Grrr.

Perhaps if you search out forums for people with multiple sclerosis or muscular dystrophy they would have solutions?
I had a very mild stroke in 1993. I hope your friend recovers.

[SmokeAndMirrors]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I think you're probably the exception rather than the norm.

I dunno about that. I'm even younger than her, and I learned how to use a computer when I was 3 years old (my dad was a network admin - he knew it was the future). I was literally born into the computer screen.

It still gives me problems. I get eye strain, and in rare cases headaches. And it's actually getting more noticeable as I'm getting older. I've noticed myself gradually tuning down the brightness on my screen over the past couple years in an attempt to reduce the strain (it doesn't really work, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something), and taking more frequent breaks.

I've had a small handful of e-books on my computer for years that I have never read because I just didn't want to do it on a computer screen. Thus the search for an e-reader.

As to the OP, in regards to older people being more likely to adopt e-readers (and reading in general), I had an interesting insight today in class.

We had a reading assignment that was written in 1949. Several people in my class were loud about how much they hated this particular assignment. I really liked it, personally. It was eloquent, comprehensive. Turns out this is exactly what much of my class didn't like about it.

They're used to sound bites. Simple, 5-word sentences that require no punctuation, and frequently use broken-down grammar. Stuff you read without actually having to read it. Stuff that says a lot more of nothing than it does of something.

People haven't always written like that (and many still don't, of course). But the eloquent sentence has become "dated" to today's teens and twenty-somethings. I'm not surprised most of them aren't interested in e-readers.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by elcreative

Probably like whole threads on MR from all the exceptions... let alone all the discussions scattered across the web... all exceptions...

This is a dedicated forum. I think it's almost a given that the norm here may not be the norm in the real world. Kinda like how in overclocking and hardware enthusiast forums, practically everyone overclocks and lots of people change gear every few months whereas in the real world, majority of folks probably run their computers to the ground.

[amward]

Originally Posted by elizilla

Preach it! I have a friend who is in the hospital after a massive stroke. I brought him an MP3 player with an audiobook, but it's too small and complex - he cannot operate it. I have looked everywhere, I cannot find an MP3 player with large simple controls that can be operated by a person with one working hand and poor vision. Even the ones sold for small children are tiny and complicated. Grrr.

Maybe an ereader with MP3 capabilities would help? If you got a larger one with buttons (touch screen probably not the best at this stage). He might also be able to read by enlarging the font. Just a thought. Hope his recovery goes well.