Will e-book readers eventually go back to paper books?

[kennyc]

I almost just Pre-Ordered the New Sony Reader....but guess I'll wait...

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yeah those round Edison cylinders for playing music.

No, becuase records have not replaced CDs or MP3s, they've just comeback to sit along side them.

[kennyc]

You're right nothing has replaced music......but I thought we were talking about technology. Seen any 8" floppy drives recently? What about Walkman Cassette players? Cinemascopes.

Do you know what an Edison Cylinder is? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph_cylinder

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Tony1988

I can understand the other reasons but expense?? Ebooks are not really cheaper (some are more) and buying a new ereader every couple years at $100+ a pop is going to ruin any savings you MAY get buying some ebooks.

This really depends. If you read any classics at all, the value of an e-readers is compelling: my shelves are filled with 19th century literature that I bought for the same cost as modern paperbacks. And if you buy hardbacks, or want to read books when they are released, there can also be a savings in buying an e-reader, depending on how many books you read.

There can also be a real savings if you share your account with your family or friends.

And this is the one reason paper books will stay with us till the end of the world.(ok maybe not the end of the world.LOL) Thousands read books frugally. They buy and sell cheap, trade etc. This is something that just cannot be done with ereaders as effectively.(unless you are content reading the same free classics over and over again)

IMO, e-readers are no-brainers for the 10-15% of the population that reads more than 10 books a year. Paper books will stay with us because of the 40% or so of the population that reads only 1-2 books per year. They are not the best customers, but they are a large group.

I don't know anyone who buys and sells used books more than occasionally, although I'm sure they exist. But I'm not sure that that's more frugal than buying cheap self-published books, or buying inexpensive genre fiction from Baen or various Romance houses.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

IMO, e-readers are no-brainers for the 10-15% of the population that reads more than 10 books a year. Paper books will stay with us because of the 40% or so of the population that reads only 1-2 books per year. They are not the best customers, but they are a large group.

One issue with this analysis, you're equating ebook readers with people using dedicated reader devices. People have computers, smartphones, tablets, etc on which to read ebooks. You don't have to purchase a dedicated reader just to read the occasional bestseller.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by kennyc

You're right nothing has replaced music......but I thought we were talking about technology. Seen any 8" floppy drives recently? What about Walkman Cassette players? Cinemascopes.

Do you know what an Edison Cylinder is? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph_cylinder

Oooh!! No, I did not know what those were. I honestly thought you were talking about records, of the vinyl persuasion!

But wait, how or when did they make a come back to replace a "newer" technology? From what I've read, they type record I meant replaced these.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

This question makes me wonder...is there any consumer technology that was completely phased out for whatever came before it? There have been competitions where one of the newer things in question completely overshadowed or knocked out its opponent (ie. VHS vs Betamax), but I've never heard of consumers going in reverse.

It's not really about consumers going in reverse; it's about a technology being used and then dying out due to lack of interest. As opposed to being replaced by something with approximately the same functionality, but better. (I't not going in reverse to read paper books; they still dominate the market).

I'm sure there are a lot of examples of this, but it's hard to remember things that have failed. "Smell-O-Vision" comes to mind. IMO, 3D is another good example - it keeps failing, being resuscitated, and failing again. Maybe it won't fail this time - but it was introduced in the 50's, failed, and was then basically not heard of for the next 25 years.

Rotary engines? Are they still used?

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

It's not really about consumers going in reverse; it's about a technology being used and then dying out due to lack of interest. As opposed to being replaced by something with approximately the same functionality, but better. (I't not going in reverse to read paper books; they still dominate the market).

I'm sure there are a lot of examples of this, but it's hard to remember things that have failed. "Smell-O-Vision" comes to mind. IMO, 3D is another good example - it keeps failing, being resuscitated, and failing again. Maybe it won't fail this time - but it was introduced in the 50's, failed, and was then basically not heard of for the next 25 years.

Rotary engines? Are they still used?

I was not using "reverse" as a derogatory statement.

I still read paper books, I just don't see myself giving up my e-reader and going back to paper only.

3D does seem like a good example. It is/was a technological advance that fell out of popularity, but it is back again and therefore is no longer on the list.

Did smell-o-vision ever really get off the ground?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I was not using "reverse" as a derogatory statement.

I still read paper books, I just don't see myself giving up my e-reader and going back to paper only.

3D does seem like a good example. It is/was a technological advance that fell out of popularity, but it is back again and therefore is no longer on the list.

Did smell-o-vision ever really get off the ground?

well there was that "Do you take you e-reader in the bathroom" thread.

[Tony1988]

Once again, ereaders are not going anywhere and neither are paperbooks. Yeah paperbooks will probably be more of a niche 20 years from now but you will still be able to get them. It took the home computer almost 20 years to enter every home. That was mostly due to the internet when it became mainstream in 1996. I thought the yellow pages would be gone by now because of the internet. There are still yellow pages. There is a group of people that still do not use the internet very much.

Smartphones have become more popular in the last 3 years. Mostly due to the phones beoming more like your computer. But not everyone has a smartphone and probably wont.(unless data plans get cheaper.)

Again some people just wont move over to a device to read books.

[DianNC]

I picked up a paper book the other day. An old fave. I kept wanting to tap the lower right corner to turn the page. And I was distracted thinking about changing and enlarging the font LOL.

I'll never go back (although I'll keep the ones I have).

[Apache]

I used to buy at least two or three books a week. I have bot bought a physical book since I got my ereader. Will I get rid of the thousands of hard back and paperback books I own? No, although my wife wishes I would.
Apache

[rdfry]

I will continue to read both ebooks and DTb's for as long as I live. i have no plans to not read printed books.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by Tony1988 View Post
I can understand the other reasons but expense?? Ebooks are not really cheaper (some are more) and buying a new ereader every couple years at $100+ a pop is going to ruin any savings you MAY get buying some ebooks.

Its kind of amusing that people bitch and moan about "agency pricing" elsewhere but on this thread, defend the price of ebooks as being acceptable.

There are also benefits to ereaders that its difficult to put a price on : convenience, convenience, convenience. I'm about to move in a few weeks, and I thank God that I am not lugging a bunch of pbooks instead of having them on my iPad. Sensual Poet nails it:

An important fact about consumers: value does not equal price. Sure, everyone wants a deal but issues like convenience and usage experience matter quite a lot. Ebook portability outweighs the importance of resale value, displaying books to visitors in the home, the tangibleness of having the thing itself in the hand.

Those who talk about the cheapness of used books never seem to count the expense of moving and storing those "bargains!"

[Tony1988]

Originally Posted by stonetools

Its kind of amusing that people bitch and moan about "agency pricing" elsewhere but on this thread, defend the price of ebooks as being acceptable.

There are also benefits to ereaders that its difficult to put a price on : convenience, convenience, convenience. I'm about to move in a few weeks, and I thank God that I am not lugging a bunch of pbooks instead of having them on my iPad. Sensual Poet nails it:



Those who talk about the cheapness of used books never seem to count the expense of moving and storing those "bargains!"

Oh yeah thats the biggest incentive for an ereader, no storage worries. Its never been about price. But unfortuantely newbies think the best incentive for ebooks is a cheap price. Of course they are sticker shocked once they find out that is not the case.

Of course people who still buy physical books do not have to store them. There are plenty of used book stores that will trade with them.