Publishers need to push ebook reader adoption

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sagacity

I mean: Who's is buying a mobile phone just to make phonecalls?

The vast majority of people, I rather suspect. The company I work for, for example, buys mobile phones by the thousand - all basic models which will do nothing but make phone calls.

Reading is not just reading:
It's the expanded features and services provided by the reader device that sells the book.

I disagree with you. The only things that matter to me in a Reader are:

1. The formats it supports.
2. The size and clarity of the screen.

I'd never dream of buying an eBook reader based on whether or not it'll play MP3 files, or that kind of useless "bells and whistles".

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by Sagacity

I mean: Who's is buying a mobile phone just to make phonecalls?

I am, for one.

[HappyMartin]

I have bought 4 books and a dictionary in the approximately 4 weeks I have had an ereader. About $70. It would have cost more than double that with shipping and duties and perhaps even more if I bought them locally, supposing they were available.

At that rate it will take about 9 months to pay for the reader. I think that is deceiving though because of the free books available. I have an ever increasing list of books to read that I haven't had to pay for. I am not even keeping pace with what is being posted on this forum. I have stopped loitering at certain sites with free books because it is starting to depress me. Baen is now the bane of my marriage. Harry has 15 000 ebooks!!! At first read I thought he must be a nutter, but I seem to be heading in the same direction so I need to urgently reassess my definitions in this regard.

I love reading but I have never been hugely enamored of the actual physical books. The ereader is a wonderful thing. It constantly makes me feel all warm and fuzzy in side. Now if only this bloody Xmas rush of photography would end so I can get down to some serious reading.

[HarryT]

You've hit the nail on the head there, Martin. One of my main reasons for liking eBooks isn't as a replacement for the paper books that I could go out and buy - it's to allow me to read all the countless thousands of out of copyright books that I can't easily go out and buy. Most of them are long out of print, and not at all easy to obtain.

Eg, the "Dr Thorndyke" novels of R. Austin Freeman which I've posted to this site are absolutely superb detective stories, but virtually none is still in print. Had it not been for eBooks, I'd almost certainly never have read them.

[Sagacity]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The vast majority of people, I rather suspect. The company I work for, for example, buys mobile phones by the thousand - all basic models which will do nothing but make phone calls.

Wonderful!
I've been looking for these models anywhere, but can't find them - do they stil excist?

I guess that these 'basic models' is completely without features like;

1. a calendar
2. camera
3. SMS (Paging)
4. games (preinstalled)
5. WAP
6. GPRS
7. Color screen
8. Dictionary
9. Phonebook
10. Voicerecording

just to mention a few...?´

I mean: Simply digit-keys, on/of, mic and speaker?

Originally Posted by HarryT

I disagree with you. The only things that matter to me in a Reader are:

1. The formats it supports.
2. The size and clarity of the screen.

I'd never dream of buying an eBook reader based on whether or not it'll play MP3 files, or that kind of useless "bells and whistles".

Hmm, well I demand a little bit more (but perhaps t's just me being silly)..;-)
Something like bookmarks, notes, scrolling, connectivity, batteries, earplug, UBSplug, import/export_facilities, dictionary.....Why? Because I believe I can't read without it!

[HarryT]

I think you're taking me a little too literally . Of course basic phones have SMS, a phone book, GPRS, etc, (because that's all a standard part of the phone system) but they don't have a camera, games, a colour screen, MP3 players, and all the other stuff that many modern "smartphones" (such as my own Windows Mobile phone) have.

Similarly, any book reading device will obviously have things like USB connectivity and a battery. By "extras" I was referring to things not directly connected to the task of reading, such as an MP3 player.

[BruceW]

Ok all you Pbook readers with lots and lots of books that make you sneeze, take up valuable room, I have a challenge for you!

Find a small town or school library and give your Pbooks to them.

My wife comes from a very small farming village and once a year I go through my collection of Pbooks to find those I will not read again and then donate them to the village library. Guess what, I have more than doubled their collection of general fiction Pbooks. Talk about brownie-points to the here-after.

Actually one of the drawbacks to the DRM ebooks is that I can not do the same thing with an ebook after I have read it. I would be more than willing to donate some readers, and get a charity tax receipt, if this was possible. Maybe some day!

Are you up for the challenge?

[astra]

Originally Posted by jasonkchapman

I am, for one.

Ditto.

After having the mobile phone for a few months I started to use a reminder as well. However, that's it. Phone is to make phone calls for me.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Sagacity

I mean: Who's is buying a mobile phone just to make phonecalls?

I did. It's one of those things I always have with me - like my car keys, USB drives, wallet, etc.

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by BruceW

Actually one of the drawbacks to the DRM ebooks is that I can not do the same thing with an ebook after I have read it.

However, there's a corresponding benefit. The library can sign up with Overdrive and instantly stock thousands of titles without needing more shelf space or staff.

And thus, the universe remains in balance.

[Sagacity]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Of course basic phones have SMS, a phone book, GPRS, etc, (because that's all a standard part of the phone system) ...

Yes HarryT, I take you very literally...and also very serious too

Why shouldn't I? I don't believe that SMS has ever been directly connected to the task of phonecalls (talk, conversation)...not even a phonebook are!
But today - as you say - SMS and phonebooks are standard parts.

The point I like to make is, that offcourse reading and talking are the main 'basics' of the devices...or at least it was.
But as the SMS feature had an unpredictable but huge impact to the salescurve of mobile phones (actually SMS was 'the' application that boosted the sale, mainly pushed forward by teenagers), I'm very careful not to state what the future 'standard parts' of an ebook could turn out to be.
Actually we all have our "whitles" but not all blow it out hard and loud

And perhaps it's all wrong to talk about an e"book" reader at all..?
It's a multi-functional portable device.

And we are yet to find the main selling point.

[nekokami]

I think when US$300 will get you a multifunction tablet with a reflective bistable screen at about the size of the iLiad, that does what the iLiad does, but in color at video refresh rates (and with a better file manager/browser), they'll fly off the shelves. People will use them for ebook reading, and for tons of other things as well. That will probably be when the ebook market goes mainstream.

Meanwhile, I confess that I do now have a phone that takes pictures. I had a b&w phone that I only used for phone calls (and rarely at that) until last month, when it stopped working. I could have replaced it with a similar phone but color (the b&w model isn't available anymore) for US$15, or I could pay US$40 and get one with a camera. Since I periodically wish I had a camera and never remember to bring one anywhere, I went for the camera. I've used it three times, I think. I haven't successfully sent a picture anywhere yet, though.

These are phones with no contract, only pre-paid cards.

I must be one of the only people in the developed world who doesn't use SMS....

[HarryT]

I've sent about three SMS messages in my entire life, Neko . Most teenagers in this country seem to send dozens a day, because they're much cheaper than phone calls.

[MaggieScratch]

Originally Posted by Sagacity

MaggieScratch Wrote:

--- I agree that the reader can be more expensive *if* the books are affordably priced.* ---

Well, I don't think so!
The price of a book is not a parametre to the price of a reader...just try to look at your cellphones or smartphones: Did you consider buying your last phone because of the (low) pricing on MMS, SMS , Paging or even the price per call/minute?
I think not!

Yeah, but everyone hates the telecoms. If we had an alternative, we would use it. With ebooks, there is an alternative--pbooks. You do have to give people compelling reasons to get widespread adoption.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by Sagacity

MaggieScratch Wrote:

--- I agree that the reader can be more expensive *if* the books are affordably priced.* ---

Well, I don't think so!
The price of a book is not a parametre to the price of a reader...just try to look at your cellphones or smartphones: Did you consider buying your last phone because of the (low) pricing on MMS, SMS , Paging or even the price per call/minute?
I think not!
You might just needed a device to handle the content and services provided.
And actually you do expect any device to be able to handle this.

I mean: Who's is buying a mobile phone just to make phonecalls?

My conclusion is, that the publishing industri and the manufactorers of the reding devices could learn a lot by looking at the selling processes of the 'mobilephone' industry.
One way they do this, is that the Service and Content Providers sell you a fixed subscrition period and at the same time give you an expensive phone for 1 $.

Reading is not just reading:
It's the expanded features and services provided by the reader device that sells the book.

Ruggero

My husband thought he was one of those people who just wanted a phone. We were changing providers and I was showing him all the different phones and he said it was all just silly. He wanted a phone that was a phone and that's it. Ring, make calls, get voicemail. None of this frivolous texting or web surfing. Then we went into the store and I started playing around with the smartphone that I wanted. In about 5 minutes we had two of those babies up at the register. It was about 3x more than the phone he wanted and a little extra money each month for the service, but when he actually experienced what he could do, it made sense to him. I think that's a tough gap ebooks have to bridge right now. People look at what they have and think, "Well, that's good enough." But if you could really make them feel the potential, then ebooks could have a market to work with.

He was also one of those people who didn't think he'd use an mp3 player until I put one in his hands and now he won't be without it. Remember when those were just for us geek early-adopters? Now who doesn't have one? I bet you within a week of me buying an e-ink reader, we'll have two. He reads several books a week (mostly sci-fi). He's the ideal customer for ebooks, especially with a subscription model. He just doesn't know it yet.