What Do You Think About the Wave of New E-Readers?

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Permalink Reply by Marcus on November 10, 2009 at 1:49pm

Specific to the Kindle, the current biggest limitation is Amazon's business model. Because they don't allow publishers to give content away ($1 is the minimum price), there's no opportunity on the device for b-to-b trade publications to use it as a tool to boost circulation.

The technology will inevitably get better, but Amazon has never shown themselves to be a service company or a company that desires to give content away. For a lot of publishers, this could be the major stumbling block.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Danzig on November 10, 2009 at 4:31pm

IMO the ereader market won't really take off until manufacturers produce a model offering good readability and ergonomics for $150. I don't think wireless connection is necessary; people just need a device that fits in a pocket and can download, store, and display a number of books. One-handed operation is a necessity as well. Sony's $200 reader comes close, but they still need to close the price gap and make sure that the player can display titles available at local lending libraries.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Berger on November 10, 2009 at 5:26pm

So far I am unimpressed. The Kindle is one more thing to carry around - and yes, a book or magazine is one more thing to carry around too, but we don't seem to view print in the same way we view electronics. I have high hopes for e-readers, and I don't think they will kill print.

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