Dedicated E-Readers: They're History

[LDBoblo]

Another point on reflective screens:

Thus far, all the primary reflective display contenders, excepting Mirasol, offer much higher contrast in monochrome than in color, due to the reflectance loss in adding color filters. Perhaps within a few generations, EPDs will approach paper quality in monochrome, but will still lag a bit behind in color. Since EPDs are still quite slow and not extremely efficient in switching, the dominance of EPD likely means a continued low-end device market in the form of dedicated readers, at least until a competing technology gets its foot in the door. So far, we haven't seen that happen in the consumer market, as the primary competitors to E-Ink are either producing EPDs as well, or they are simply rounding up investors and showing demos.

[BenLee]

Originally Posted by djgreedo

All this talk of e-readers vs tablets is almost certainly going to be moot within a few years. As you've pointed out, the technology will advance to a point where a tablet can have the features that they currently lack (paperlike screen, colour, video, etc.) that will make them better readers than the current e-ink devices.

All a tablet needs (for me at least) to replace my Kindle is a screen I can read comfortably (and that uses very little battery power). I'd love the reading functionality of the iPad in a reader with an e-ink screen.

For me it's not a matter of having a dedicated device vs an all-in-one device. I just want to do what I do in the best way possible, and for reading that is currently e-ink on my Kindle. I find that dedicated devices generally avoid compromise (until you get to the netbook/laptop size where the more the merrier applies in terms of functionality), but if a tablet arrives that can replicate the Kindle experience as well as tablet features I'd buy it.

This is right on.

Right now there is a serious danger of the eReader dying out. iPad is the reason. It's not even a perfect eReader replacement yet, but already many people either have already or are considering abandoning their dedicated devices. All this, with an imperfect eReader, something that can be addressed very easily.

If Apple or another company can make the reading experience of tablets match that of an eReader, there will be very little reason left NOT to get one. Theres a very good chance this could happen now that they realize how much additional market they can capture by paying some attention to readers.

This is exactly what happened to dedicated word processors. For a while there was a need for them. But then came affordable PCs. And given that a computer provides so much more value than a word processor AND handles word processing perfectly, wordprocessors became useless.

People will always look for the device that provides the most value, that they can use all the time. Tablets are trying to give you that experience by loading up on very USEFUL apps, and one of them happen to be ebook readers. As of now, it nearly replaces the eReader. Nearly.

[Silver15]

There are quite a few factors for success:
Dedicated need not stay dedicated - read books and be capable of doing other things once in a while. Abel read a bit, watched a movie and listened to some music and turned in after checking his email on his 'reader'.
Battery life is extremely important. I don't really know if I get 8000 page turns, but I do get more than a couple of hours.
Size - the average paperback differs from the average glossy magazine or newspaper or an illustrated text book - the ebook readers have to solve that issue - carrying a 9.7" screen is different from carrying a 6" screen.
Durability and ruggedness count for a lot - Abel came in dripping with rainwater and tossed his plastic reader into the corner, while he peeled off his dripping coat....
Capacity - The sky is the limit but will fit in the reader quite easily - this aspect of technology is not worrying for books today. If you want your classical music collection, your pop, rock, etc., collection, you may need a bit more memory than 64GB.
People will continue to read. What they read on is quite irrelevant for the reader, as long as competition ensures that the success factors are built into the devices. It will be good for devices like the expensive ipad to make sure that there is more for your money in the reasonably priced market. Evolution, not death is in the offing for dedicated ereaders.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by BenLee

This is right on.

Right now there is a serious danger of the eReader dying out. iPad is the reason. It's not even a perfect eReader replacement yet, but already many people either have already or are considering abandoning their dedicated devices. All this, with an imperfect eReader, something that can be addressed very easily.

If Apple or another company can make the reading experience of tablets match that of an eReader, there will be very little reason left NOT to get one. Theres a very good chance this could happen now that they realize how much additional market they can capture by paying some attention to readers.

This is exactly what happened to dedicated word processors. For a while there was a need for them. But then came affordable PCs. And given that a computer provides so much more value than a word processor AND handles word processing perfectly, wordprocessors became useless.

People will always look for the device that provides the most value, that they can use all the time. Tablets are trying to give you that experience by loading up on very USEFUL apps, and one of them happen to be ebook readers. As of now, it nearly replaces the eReader. Nearly.

The problem that is holding tablets back is technology. It will take 2-3 years before color screen technology has advanced to the point that they will be as energy efficient and suitable for long term reading for everybody as e-ink is. And tablets still have to lose a lot of bulk and weight. Once they have achieved that, then there will only be a market for dedicated B&W readers below USD 50, but those will probably virtually wipe out paperbacks and sell in the 100s of millions.

[GlenBarrington]

I can remember when they were talking about the death of paper in the office. Boy, I sure do miss paper.

Originally Posted by Shaggy

These type of arguments are a lot older than the iPad. When laptops came out it was "the death of the PC". When notebooks came out it was "the death of the laptop". Heck, I remember reading similar nonsense 15 years ago talking about "the death of the internet".

Such articles are attempts to generate advertising revenue by reporters/bloggers that can't come up with intelligent stories, nothing more.

[vaughnmr]

Originally Posted by BenLee

If Apple or another company can make the reading experience of tablets match that of an eReader, there will be very little reason left NOT to get one. Theres a very good chance this could happen now that they realize how much additional market they can capture by paying some attention to readers.

Please give me a call when the iPad costs $189 and doesn't charge $30 per month for 3g access, and weighs about 1/3 of what it does now...

[sabredog]

Regardless of the advances we all see pretty much daily, personal electronic devices have come a looong way thus far.

I recall reading in 1979 about "pocket computers" described in Niven and Pournelle's book "Mote in God's Eye". The description of that device used by Imperial Naval officers was that they could write notes into it, communicate using it and check stored and externally stored information.

At the time, as a young teenager, I marvelled at the idea of such an exciting device. Now fiction is a reality as PDA's and Smartphones do exactly that.

I really do believe that the notebook and the tablet will merge in both functionality and form over the next five years as this was the path of evolution for the smartphone that is replacing the single purpose mobile phone. The iPad is one step on the path but in my opinion (and my Apple mad eighteen year old son), it is simply a large iphone (minus call functionality)

However, the dedicated electronic device such as the MP3 player and ereader will always remain a viable device to market and own. Certainly for me.

[RyanMWilliams]

All this discussion reminds me of the whole console vs. PC when it comes to gaming. Dedicated device vs. a multipurpose device. What has actually happened? Both continue to exist and do well and gaming has spread to lots of other platforms like cell phones and iPads. I don't see any reason reading won't do the same thing and that's what both these companies are doing. You can read your Kindle/B&N/Apple e-books on the dedicated device, on your PC, on your cell phone.

We might have our own personal preference, but as an author & librarian I just want people to read and the more opportunities they have to do that the better. And better business. I don't think the dedicated devices are going to go away any more than consoles are going to go away.

[bjones6416]

I was surprised to read that apparently a lot of us here don't know many people who are avid hobby readers. I guess I'm an exception, because most of the people that I hang out with, including most of my extended family members, read a LOT. I'll admit that only two of us in the family, and a couple of my friends, actually own dedicated e-book readers, but I think that will change with more exposure to e-books. The big selling point for me isn't the look of the e-ink, by the way -- I like the display on my jetbook just as well -- it's battery life. That's huge for me. I already have to remember to charge my phone, my ipod, my camera, etc. It's a relief to only have to plug in my Sony reader once every week or two, even with heavy use.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

The big selling point for me isn't the look of the e-ink, by the way -- I like the display on my jetbook just as well -- it's battery life. That's huge for me. I already have to remember to charge my phone, my ipod, my camera, etc. It's a relief to only have to plug in my Sony reader once every week or two, even with heavy use.

That was the reason I got my 505 as well, not eInk per se, but that it could last me an entire transatlantic trip, which my previous reader, a Palm T3, couldn't, even with the battery addon. I wasn't buying it because eInk was fantastic, I was perfectly happy reading on a backlit screen, I was buying it because only eInk offered the endurance I was after.
It is also why I don't see myself using the 505 again, now I have an iPad, as it also has the battery life to handle my trips, and it much more capable that the 505.

[Richey79]

I don't think the melodramatic '5 minutes to go 'til extinction!' headlines will come true, but there are some less-than-rosy truths in the meat of these articles. I wonder if a better analogy for the future isn't going to be 'I still use a dedicated camera, phone and laptop', but photographic film's survival being used by really passionate people in the face of the ubiquity and ease of digital imagery.

I don't think it's going to be a feasible model to sell the reader at cost-price and rely on the e-store for income. Only the biggest two players can even contemplate this future, and it's only really workable if they lock people in with harsh DRM.

For the moment, I don't think that there's a massive demographic out there who would be willing to switch to ebooks. I look at friends who read and are technologically literate, but they just wouldn't get excited enough to go out and buy one, even if it cost $100.

There is, however, a much bigger demographic of potential customers than is currently being exploited. Out of the people I know, those who'd get the most out of a dedicated e-reader, and who would consider the current price good value, are over 40. Manufacturers have a problem that (at least here in the UK) there's been very little exposure so far to e-ink devices, perhaps particularly of those people who are middle-aged and higher.

Look at this product: http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Classic-.../dp/B001LK6XKE

Download 100 books from Project Gutenburg, put them onto a device with a poor screen that's intended for an entirely different purpose, run glossy adverts targeting the over 55s in Reader's Digest - I wonder how much money Nintendo's marketing department made with that scam? If it's so easy to market a poor product, then why aren't manufacturers running successful marketing campaigns for e-readers? The clock may well now be ticking for them if they don't... .

Really, the e-reader manufacturers need to make a big push to get trial devices into bookshops (and libraries?) where people can try them. Their best selling points are that it's more comfortable to read than a book, the text is on a par with that of p-books (better, if you prefer larger print) and battery life. It's barely like using a 'soulless' electronic device at all and you can say goodbye to getting rid of a quarter of your p-books each year to make house-room.

Currently, people don't even know what e-ink is and that it's different from reading on a back-lit computer screen.

Apple sat on their hands for years ignoring the nascent e-book market. It would be a shame if they can now persuade customers that they shouldn't be interested in having a better device to read on. There's a danger that (the majority of) those who buy an iPad will buy a few books and read on it for a couple of months while it's still an exciting gadget, then go back to p-books and think 'I don't know how I ever thought an electronic device might replace proper books'.

[BenLee]

Originally Posted by vaughnmr

Please give me a call when the iPad costs $189 and doesn't charge $30 per month for 3g access, and weighs about 1/3 of what it does now...

If there were people willing to pay $300+ a few months ago for just a dedicataed reader, there will be people who are willing to pay $300+ for a tablet device that is well suited to reading AND apps.

[BenLee]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I can remember when they were talking about the death of paper in the office. Boy, I sure do miss paper.

Death may not be the appropriate word in this case. There is definitely a danger of HUGE market loss to tablets in the near future, but probably not of dedicated readers disappearing.

[LDBoblo]

I really don't see what the issue is. Ebook reading as a concept, if we're lucky, will carry on without going dormant again, and devices capable of supporting enthusiasts should persist for a while. I hope that whether we retain simplified, specialized devices, or more multifunction ones, we'll see the quality of ebooks and the software to support them tighten up and improve. Well-crafted software and books that can match or at least approach paperback-quality typesetting would go a long way to reassure (at least me) that ebook reading is here to stay and I won't need to wait 5 or 10 more years before it surfaces again.

Originally Posted by BenLee

Death may not be the appropriate word in this case. There is definitely a danger of HUGE market loss to tablets in the near future, but probably not of dedicated readers disappearing.

This is a good thing, assuming the pressure drives innovation.

[BenLee]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

I really don't see what the issue is. Ebook reading as a concept, if we're lucky, will carry on without going dormant again, and devices capable of supporting enthusiasts should persist for a while. I hope that whether we retain simplified, specialized devices, or more multifunction ones, we'll see the quality of ebooks and the software to support them tighten up and improve. Well-crafted software and books that can match or at least approach paperback-quality typesetting would go a long way to reassure (at least me) that ebook reading is here to stay and I won't need to wait 5 or 10 more years before it surfaces again.


This is a good thing, assuming the pressure drives innovation.

I guess I personally do not have a problem with it, but many people are quite attached to their dedicated devices and would hope that they are still around in a few years. I think whatever device comes out on top will come out on top for a reason (because it provides the most value) so nothing wrong with having more innovate devices if they are fairly priced.