Why the Digital Revolution is Missing the Big Picture

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Others have no need for that stuff as they're older, don't need such a device for work and are just into reading and not much into music, video etc.

I should probably be offended by that, somehow, but I'm gonna let it slide because I know what you meant...

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Thus there's plenty of room in the market for dedicated readers and multifunction devices that also can access say the Kindle store etc. Gives people options and gives e-books stores access to more customers. Seems like a no-brainer win-win situation to me. I think some are just overly worried about dedicated readers vanishing--but I don't see that happening. There we always at the least be a sizable niche for them. Just like there's a sizeable niche of academics/professionals who would buy a good tablet device.

If larger-sized multifunction devices improve enough, there will be little need for dedicated devices... but the DDs might still be popular, depending on the set of features and prices they can manage to make them more relevant or personalized to an individual's usage patterns. I personally think they have a long ways to go, which is why I don't own one, but that's just my opinion, and others obviously like them exactly as they are.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I should probably be offended by that, somehow, but I'm gonna let it slide because I know what you meant...

Not sure how anyone would be offended. Just saying some people love reading and don't have hobbies with music, video games, movies, tv etc. nor need the type of features a tablet would offer for their work--thus I get some people don't need such a device.

If larger-sized multifunction devices improve enough, there will be little need for dedicated devices...

Size is the main factor. No need to hold a big table with say an 10" or letter sized screen to just read a novel. It's big and bulky and just as not as comfortable to read for hours. Battery life won't be as good as e-ink and eye strain worse until there's some screen tech that can do HD video etc. etc. and be easy on the eyes like e-ink.

So I see why people prefer dedicated readers for leisure reading--as I said above I'd probably keep one around and use a tablet mainly for work stuff and only use it for leisure reading when traveling since I'd need it with me and not want to carry it and a dedicated reader.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Not sure how anyone would be offended.

It was the part where you suggested older people wouldn't need that stuff...

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Size is the main factor. No need to hold a big table with say an 10" or letter sized screen to just read a novel. It's big and bulky and just as not as comfortable to read for hours. Battery life won't be as good as e-ink and eye strain worse until there's some screen tech that can do HD video etc. etc. and be easy on the eyes like e-ink.

That's why I suggested that multifunction devices can (and certainly will) improve, increasing battery life, lowering weight, and improving visual quality... at which point, the advantages of digital devices will be lessened, and they may need to come up with some new tricks in order to stay relevant. Like... becoming multifunction devices...

And don't forget, so far we haven't seen the magazine or textbook media really break into e-books. As that media tends to be more visual, with added color, photos, diagrams, etc, you need larger screens to properly display all that... tablet- or letter-sized would be better than the standard size of most eInk screens available today.

So, if the present dedicated devices don't optimize themselves for what might ultimately be a much larger market than text-based literature, they could easily find themselves seriously marginalized by the multifunction devices.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

It was the part where you suggested older people wouldn't need that stuff...

Aww...fair enough. But I'll stand by it. Older people are less likely to be playing video games, watching videos, listening to mp3s etc., more likely to be retired than having a job where they want/need to use that cutting edge technology.

Not saying there are older folks who DO need that stuff--just less so than younger generations who are more wrapped up in that kind of stuff.

That's why I suggested that multifunction devices can (and certainly will) improve, increasing battery life, lowering weight, and improving visual quality... at which point, the advantages of digital devices will be lessened, and they may need to come up with some new tricks in order to stay relevant. Like... becoming multifunction devices...

And don't forget, so far we haven't seen the magazine or textbook media really break into e-books. As that media tends to be more visual, with added color, photos, diagrams, etc, you need larger screens to properly display all that... tablet- or letter-sized would be better than the standard size of most eInk screens available today.

So, if the present dedicated devices don't optimize themselves for what might ultimately be a much larger market than text-based literature, they could easily find themselves seriously marginalized by the multifunction devices.

Agreed. Technology will improve. Though I'm still not sure I'd want to do my leisure, "paperback" type reading on something with a big screen even if it's very light etc.

But I need a big screen for all the other stuff--and especially for textbooks, academic books, scholarly journal articles etc.

So I could see at least myself wanting both a small screen reader for novels and a larger screen multifunction device.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Aww...fair enough. But I'll stand by it. Older people are less likely to be playing video games, watching videos, listening to mp3s etc., more likely to be retired than having a job where they want/need to use that cutting edge technology.

Heh.

Dude: Retirees have something called leisure time! Why not play video games, listen to MP3s, watch videos, etc? Or did you really expect all retirees to just sit around in their wheelchairs and drool on each other? Assuming "older people" are somehow less likely to enjoy music, movies and literature than younger people is pretty silly. In fact, they probably enjoy those things a lot more than the younger generations, simply by virtue of having experienced so much more of it in their lifetimes, and therefore know so much more about quality media...

The big picture (getting waaay back to the topic at hand) is that e-books aren't just for a few lucky and particularly sharp geeks... they're for anybody and everybody. In fact, they will be much easier for older people to enjoy than static, font- and size-locked printed text, and even a tablet PC will be lighter, smaller and easier to carry around than a copy of the Washington Post.

The author was expressing the fact that he thinks it's okay to be a luddite... and if you want to be a luddite, that's your business. But the world moves on, and sometimes even luddites have to come around to the new way of things.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Heh.

Dude: Retirees have something called leisure time! Why not play video games, listen to MP3s, watch videos, etc? Or did you really expect all retirees to just sit around in their wheelchairs and drool on each other? Assuming "older people" are somehow less likely to enjoy music, movies and literature than younger people is pretty silly. In fact, they probably enjoy those things a lot more than the younger generations, simply by virtue of having experienced so much more of it in their lifetimes, and therefore know so much more about quality media...

Sure....but they're not as tech savvy was my point. My parents are retired and only in their late 50's to early 60's and while they're into music, movies, reading etc., they're not into mp3 players, online stuff etc.

Some in that age group--and even older--certainly are. But you can't make any argument that older generations are a huge chunk of any tech market.

Especially when we're talking about complicated multifunction tablets that don't even exist yet.

Something simple to use like a Kindle has much more of an appeal in the older crowd, as the average age of Kindle owners shows.

The big picture (getting waaay back to the topic at hand) is that e-books aren't just for a few lucky and particularly sharp geeks... they're for anybody and everybody. In fact, they will be much easier for older people to enjoy than static, font- and size-locked printed text, and even a tablet PC will be lighter, smaller and easier to carry around than a copy of the Washington Post.

100% agree.

But a multi function tablet that does all kinds of stuff isn't going to appeal to the older crowd.

A simple to use Kindle certainly will--I think you mis-read my post. I'm saying the kind of multi-featured tablet I want--like the MS Courier concept videos etc.--won't appeal much to retiree's who are are put off by the complicated technology and don't need the work related functions etc.

I was saying dedicated readers will stick around because they are simple to use and appeal to people (of all ages) who just want to read on an small and easy to use device and have no interest in some complicated multi-function device.

No reasons for them to die off just because career focused people like me prefer multi-function devices that simply our lives.

My post was saying why I think dedicated readers will stick around even once swanky multi-function tablets are out and affordable. There's definitely a market for both, I don't see multi-function tablets killing off the need for dedicated readers, which you seemed to argue in your post.

The author was expressing the fact that he thinks it's okay to be a luddite... and if you want to be a luddite, that's your business. But the world moves on, and sometimes even luddites have to come around to the new way of things.

Agreed. But not many older people (say 50 and up) are going to come around to tablets. A lot can come around to simple e-readers like the Kindle for sure though.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by tompe

I agree that ebook readers can give more functionality but your example is not an added functionality for me since I never leave home without bringing a book with me.

Yeah, that used to be me, too, before I got my iPhone. I hate carrying things, even books. So I tended to take books that fit in my pocket. I've got a couple of "manbags" but I think carrying them is kind of like wearing seat belts - the older generation never got the habit. I do have Infinite Jest at my office, in its own personal manbag, to take to lunch & read. But mainly, if it fits in my pockets, I take it, otherwise, not.

One of my strategies in the past was to stash books around wherever I might find myself - office, car, book(s) in every room in the house in partial states of unread, briefcase when I had to carry one. Um...I still do all that...

So for the most part, carrying things ain't my bag, meaning that the iPhone was a real boon - now I have books in my pocket all the time. But with aging eyes, I'd like to have a bit larger font, & I think I've found a pretty portable eReader in the Sony 300 I just bought. It will fit most of my jacket pockets, & in the summer I tend to wear cargo shorts so it will fit a pocket then, too.

But I think that for a lot of people, it's just easier to carry an eBook reader, so I regard that as added functionality, even though I expect most of us on this board, pre-ebook, carried pbooks around.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

So, if the present dedicated devices don't optimize themselves for what might ultimately be a much larger market than text-based literature, they could easily find themselves seriously marginalized by the multifunction devices.

What books - and eBook readers - bring to the table is exactly the fact that they are NOT multifunctional devices. By their single dimension, they focus attention in a way that is conducive to deep reading. That experience is hard to obtain on multifunctional devices.

For this reason, I think that eBook readers will not be marginalized any more than books are - particularly if the prices for the readers continue to drop, and level off sufficiently lower than the price of the multis.

I think that your observation might hold true for the higher end, larger sized devices, though.

[Hellmark]

I always carry a laptop for school, and my ebook reader fits easily into my netbook's little bag. Plus goes into a hoodie pocket, or my coat's pockets without a problem. Always with me, so easy to fit reading into my schedule.

[Superlucky]

I used to always carry a book with me, but now I can carry thousands, so it's definitely added functionality. Also, when I carried a book I was limited to small paperbacks. War and Peace is only portable on a reading device.

[dmaul1114]

He/She wasn't saying he read on an LCD. He said he carries a netbook everywhere, and his e-reader fits in the case with the netbook so it's easy to carry both everywhere.

[Superlucky]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

He/She wasn't saying he read on an LCD. He said he carries a netbook everywhere, and his e-reader fits in the case with the netbook so it's easy to carry both everywhere.

Got it. It's actually quite clear. I read that post before I had my coffee.

Thanks.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Superlucky

Got it. It's actually quite clear. I read that post before I had my coffee.

Thanks.

Sort of the on-line equivalent of "engage brain before opening mouth"

"Drink coffee before responding on-line"

[Superlucky]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Sort of the on-line equivalent of "engage brain before opening mouth"

"Drink coffee before responding on-line"

Precisely. Lesson learned.

[kennyc]

Well, I tend to get in trouble even after drinking my coffee.