Yeah... I don't get it

[innocent_lex]

Amazon have just launched an ebook reader that has apparently been 3 years in the making (see BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7101392.stm). And I... don't get it. They apparently think it's the bee's knees, but it's just a proprietary, excessively large, functionally-limited, black and white reader that can only do one thing - let you (and only you) read books. Oh, and it's fugly and 400 dollars (yes, that's US) before you even start buying books. There really must be something I'm missing here. I read books, fic, PDFs, whatever format on my Palm, and also use that device to listen to music, watch video, store all my contacts, have my shopping lists, run spreadsheets, carry around photos, write, etc, etc, etc.

Someone must know what Amazon's intention was. Any ideas?

Comments

[jayb111.livejournal.com]

And you have to pay to upload your own files to this thing? No thanks, I'll stick with my PDA.

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

It's utterly mystifying.

[rynogeny.livejournal.com]

For some reason, the world at large (including some geeks, like the editors at PC Magazine) continue to insist that ebooks are still out there on the horizon, something not yet come to pass in this digital world. I regularly see articles discussing what it would take to have ebooks take off the way digital music did with the arrival of the mp3 player. (Um, it's probably not going to, because not as many people read as listen to music. It's a sad fact of life.)

A lot of people complain about not liking to read books on PDA's, and some (who should know better, like the aformentioned PC Magazine editor) appear to be in complete ignorance about the fact that thousands of brand new, just published sure-to-be-bestsellers are in fact available in electronic format (and are being purchased and read.)

It's weird to me. I've never seen such mass denial of something that's already in existence. But all I can attribute it to is that because a certain percentage of the population haven't found a way of reading ebooks that they like, the media insists that no one has.

To answer your question, then, I think this is Amazon's attempt to create the ebook reader equivalent of the ipod. They're now attempting to market something that addresses the complaints they're aware of (size and type of screen being paramount) while continuing to deny that the those who are quite happy with what's available are out there.

This too, will bomb of course, because no one in their right mind will spend that much money for it. And then the media will have more 'evidence' that there's no market for ebooks.

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

The mass denial thing? That's a really good point. It's just so... odd. It's equivalent to people denying the existence of MP3 players before the iPod started allowing people to load MP3s. It's just barking mad. And yes, I can see now they're going for the equivalent of the iPod market, but with this? No chance. It's the technological equivalent of a 1980s doorstop.

[rynogeny.livejournal.com]

I've been looking at more of the reviews/comments on this, and think they're marketing it to non-technically minded people, in that you don't have to have a computer to load the books. Plus the convenience of downloading new material anywhere there's a wifi network, or, in the US, via Sprint's high speed network.

And yeah, I can sort of see those as advantages. But at $400 a pop? Not likely.

[readerjane]

(3 years in the making )

There's the problem. How far has the state of the art moved in the last three years?

That durn bar just keeps getting higher and higher... *g*

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

But it looks like early 80s tech, not 2004 tech. That's part of what's so utterly bewildering.

[huffytiger.livejournal.com]

That's because it'll probably be marketed as *retro* LOL!

[nialla]

There's been tons of ebook readers in the past, not to mention people using PDAs, but there's never been one to succeed above all others, simply because there was never one that had all the features people needed. Plus, ebooks usually cost the same as print versions, so most people wouldn't bother, because why pay the same when you don't have a physical product?

I think Amazon wants to have the iPod of ebook readers. Even though there's tons of generic digital music players these days, iPod is "the" brand. I think Amazon is trying to use its name recognition just like Apple does these days. I'm also pretty sure they're dropping the cost of ebooks, which as I mentioned, was a big stumbling book to widespread use of ebooks in the past.

It's fugly and expensive. But with the Amazon name, it might make an impression. I doubt it, but there's a chance.

[becky-monster.livejournal.com]

But with the Amazon name, it might make an impression. I doubt it, but there's a chance

True, but I think that the publishers/writers are going to have words to say. Not to mention the international markets because of our old 'friend' copyright. And do I really want to know what Amazon had to do to get the publishers on board... or shall I just reach for the mindbleach right now?

Not to mention - what happens when you break the glass? What happens if it breaks down? Can you back it up? What happens if you want to read more than 200 books?

I? Am not impressed.

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

All good questions. I assume Amazon has permission from all kinds of people to sell these ebooks, and that the writers are getting paid accordingly, but the usage limitations are too restrictive, and, as you say, the what if you break it question isn't answered satisfactorily.

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

Precisely - why pay the same when you can't then pass the book onto your mum or your brother or your friends when you're done, or even onto the local charity shop. That's one of the key things about books that ebook sellers don't seem to have taken into account. Or maybe they have, and they're just hitting a smaller market because of it.

[becky-monster.livejournal.com]

I think that they're trying to emulate Apple in providing the killer app for e-books. Apple succeeded with the iPod because MP3 players filled a need (to have your music with you without lugging upteen cds and tapes around). They just made it look pretty! Just like they make pretty computers (that do a far better job than PCs)

Playing devil's advocate for a heartbeat... e-books have their place. Especially in academic libraries where a goodly number (and rising) of students cannot get to the library to access the materials.

Even so, stats show that students prefer the 'smash and grab' approach. Get in, get the info, get out.

Did I mention how much these things cost and what's actually available for the money?
Give you a clue... a lot of money and stuff that's out of date or not the latest edition.

Amazon might want to be the next Apple (if they are - I have one word for them as a newbie owner of a Macbook - DESIGN!!) but unless they can convince publishers to make their books available at the same price as the paper version and put out the bestsellers as well as the backruns... then maybe they have a snowballs chance.

Sorry - this fascinates me from a professional pov, though I can't help thinking 'goatrope' at the moment;)

[readerjane]

Love the icon! That's Spider Robinson, isn't it?

[becky-monster.livejournal.com]

Indeed it is! I couldn't tell you which book... because I chose it because I iz a librarian and it sums up a universal truth;)

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

The academic perspective wasn't something I'd considered, because I'm not one. Although, one of the reviews on Amazon complained that the screen wasn't good enough to show technical images and diagrams, nor was there space enough to look at large diagrams all at once - a definite limitation I wouldn't have appreciated in my engineering days. And if, on top of that, the available books are also outdated versions, then that's bugger all use to anyone.

Goatrope, eh? That's a term I've never come across before. I looked it up. I like it. ;-)