It is the Worst of Times for Reading EBooks

[Sarmat89]

Back in 2013, I've posted about how the EPUB format is inadequate for e-books. People promised a 'new' EPUB3 format, which would add metadata, semantics, and other direly needed things.
Now, in the middle of 2019, EPUB3 added nothing of metadata or semantics, but even more Webkit features, formulas, and other junk people do not need. It also not seen in the wild.

And the new E-ink technologies make screens more expensive, not more cheaper as one would expect. The readers in an affordable $50..$100 range are nowhere to be seen.

[latepaul]

Originally Posted by Sarmat89

And the new E-ink technologies make screens more expensive, not more cheaper as one would expect. The readers in an affordable $50..$100 range are nowhere to be seen.

Only in the world of tech do people expect products should get better *and* cheaper over time. It's always been an anomaly and there's no law of nature that says it should continue.

And it's fine to want an ereader (or any product) at an arbitrarily low price, but someone has to figure out how to make it and sell it at that price and stay in business.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by jhowell

It seems odd to me that people are far more interested in participating in the “worst of times” thread than in the “best of times” one.

You shouldn't be surprised by this.
Apache

[John F]

Originally Posted by latepaul

Only in the world of tech do people expect products should get better *and* cheaper over time. It's always been an anomaly and there's no law of nature that says it should continue.

And it's fine to want an ereader (or any product) at an arbitrarily low price, but someone has to figure out how to make it and sell it at that price and stay in business.

Doesn't it happen in manufacturing in general: better production methods over time, increased volume, automation, ...?

[Lparsons21]

Originally Posted by lumpynose

Except for what Lparsons21 said about speed; they're still unacceptably and irritatingly slow.

And it amazes me how little the speed has improved over the years. It isn’t like e-ink is new tech, it has been around for many years. And I think I remember reading something about a faster version of e-ink some time back. But yet all these new e-ink devices are mostly just the old e-ink devices with new prices and a little better UI’s.
While it is mostly the more generic tablet like e-ink devices that suffer the worst, even the dedicated ones like Kindle, Kobo and others aren’t any kind of speed demons.
I’ll keep watching and waiting for an Android tablet with e-ink that works better and faster. I bought a Likebook Mars thinking it was it, but alas, it is the same slow and sluggish device they all mostly seem to be.


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[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Sarmat89

Now, in the middle of 2019, EPUB3 added nothing of metadata or semantics, but even more Webkit features, formulas, and other junk people do not need. It also not seen in the wild.

1) Webkit and EPUB3 have nothing to do with each other. One is a rendering system used by many epub reading devices (or reading applications) and the other is an open spec that tries to define how ebooks should be structured. And EPUB3 added much in the way of metadata and semantics. You can't however, force people to implement them in their books or reading systems.

2) A very large number of commercially sold epubs are sold as epub3s. I buy them all the time. EPUB3 is very much "in the wild." Has been for some time, now.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by jhowell

It seems odd to me that people are far more interested in participating in the “worst of times” thread than in the “best of times” one.

Probably because they take exception to the "worst of times" thinking, and want to offer their alternate thoughts. There's not so much call to jump into a thread only to say "me too!"

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by Lparsons21

I’ll keep watching and waiting for an Android tablet with e-ink that works better and faster. I bought a Likebook Mars thinking it was it, but alas, it is the same slow and sluggish device they all mostly seem to be.


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What is it about speed that you need it in an ebook? It 'turns' pages much faster than you could with a paper book. What am I missing? I get that the original kobo is slower than molasses, but none of the newer devices are slow.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

The only big defect I see in the eInk Kindle Keyboard, and it is significant, is that you can't read ePUB library books, such as from the Cloud Library. There also are defects in the "experimental" browser -- web site support for which has declined -- but since we eventually broke down and got international smartphones from Google Fi, it is no longer an issue for us.

Actually, you can, but you have to have a laptop or computer to do so. My library showed us how to download to the computer and sideload onto any Kindle. I do that for my Mom all the time. I have Windows 10, but maybe you have no computer (and before anybody rags on me, some folks access this site through ther phones or tablets).

[Lparsons21]

Originally Posted by Tarana

What is it about speed that you need it in an ebook? It 'turns' pages much faster than you could with a paper book. What am I missing? I get that the original kobo is slower than molasses, but none of the newer devices are slow.

If I wanted to get a dedicated e-reader or each service, speed isn’t that much of an issue. But since I read from a couple of subscription services that isn’t entirely possible. While Kindle Unlimited works on Kindles, scribd doesn’t work on anything but more generic Android devices.

And there’s the rub. Switching between apps is dog slow on every generic Android e-ink device I’ve seen or owned. Animated page turns are hinky and not all apps allow for turning it off. And page turns are slow even without animation, and often they don’t turn when you tap for it.

IMO, the single reason for e-ink reading is the theory that they are better for your eyes. And more and more I’m convinced it isn’t much and it isn’t worth putting up with the sluggishness just for that. My eyes are fine and I’ve been reading ebooks on various devices over the years and I’m 75.

So these days I use an iPad Mini. Right size, right weight, great battery life, and I can read all my books on it. My Likebook Mars gets an OS check now and then to see if they’ve gotten around to making the current version of the Nook app work, otherwise it pretty much sits on the shelf.


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[Deskisamess]

IMO, the single reason for e-ink reading is the theory that they are better for your eyes. And more and more I’m convinced it isn’t much and it isn’t worth putting up with the sluggishness just for that. My eyes are fine and I’ve been reading ebooks on various devices over the years and I’m 75.

E-ink is far superior for reading outside, and for reading in a dark room. (Assuming a front lit device) Backlit devices are not great for those uses.

I'm 60, have worn glasses since I was 5-6, and can read comfortably on e-ink for hours. I love my iDevices, but not for long term reading sessions. When I read in bed, I take my strong prescription glasses off and hold the Kindle 6-7 inches from my eyes. Doing that with my iPhone or iPad mini causes almost immediate issues with my eyes. Back-light turned way down, white text on dark background, night shift on, nothing helps...it is uncomfortable reading.

E-ink dedicated readers were nothing short of a miracle for me.

[Philippe D.]

Originally Posted by Tarana

What is it about speed that you need it in an ebook? It 'turns' pages much faster than you could with a paper book. What am I missing? I get that the original kobo is slower than molasses, but none of the newer devices are slow.

When reading fiction or a book that you're going to read linearly - start at the beginning, move forward until you reach the end - fast page turns are not a problem; a slow ereader is about as slow as turning a physical page (you do it roughly as often, though, since each page turn gives you only one page of material).

But if you start reading documents where you naturally move from one page to another, or where you'd flip through a paper book looking for a specific page (like a technical document, reference manual, this kind of thing), then processing power and speed of the display may become an issue. (A well-made table of contents or navigational help also matter, but they're not the responsibility of the ereader manufacturer)

This is the one use case relevant to a pure ereader (as in, a device whose sole purpose is to make it possible to read documents) where speed reasonably means something. My guess is that the vast majority of users are reading linear documents, or at least manufacturers are convinced of this; so it isn't a big surprise to me that there is little progress in this regard, as it would likely mean high R&D costs, more expensive hardware, and much decreased battery life - all of which go against some of the strong points of ereaders (though the hardware cost is less so these days - with the mass production of general-purpose tablets, their prices has fallen so much that more and more people look at ereaders as very limited tablets with no color display.

[Lparsons21]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

E-ink is far superior for reading outside, and for reading in a dark room. (Assuming a front lit device) Backlit devices are not great for those uses.

Thanks. I actually hadn’t thought of that as I don’t read outside. So while I knew that was a strength I just had forgotten it.





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[theducks]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I don't either. Reading is a quiet time for me.

For me, I found that Audio books don't tolerate interruptions.
With paper or e-books. I just stop looking at the book until the distraction goes away.

[binaryhermit]

Yes, innovation has slowed substantially. An alternative viewpoint on that is that devices are just pretty mature right now and there's not really any easy ways to release a better model.