"How Kindle Will Change the World"

I think the digitization of books by google will have a bigger impact. I don't believe Kindle or any other eReader will replace print books any time soon though I believe if eReader's can become affordable for the masses, say around $75, you will see a lot of people buying them.

I'm not sure you'll ever seen anything totally replace books.

Using the music industry as an example, people have gone crazy for mp3's and the like, but there is still a big market for CDs.

I think the rumored Apple e-book reader, and the iPhone, will probably have a bigger impact than the Kindle, or the Sony Reader, combined. The problem with 'em both, in my esitmation, is that they're trying to be as much like a BOOK as they can, down to the e-ink. Trying to successfully imitate something isn't going to work.

(It's as if they had invented CDs, but had tried to make them the same size and color as vinyl, but kept them expensive)

If a device replaces books, it's gotta be better at being itself than a book. Not trying to be better at being a BOOK than a BOOK.

Personally, they have no appeal to me, and I wonder absently if they'll change anything without much interest. I'd quite like a full-color nicely-sized eBook reader which can automatically download new issues of comic books for me, and which can hold and make searchable my reference library, which is huge and heavy. For those two things, I'd go for it.

*ramble ramble*

PeeDee said:

I think the rumored Apple e-book reader, and the iPhone, will probably have a bigger impact than the Kindle, or the Sony Reader, combined. The problem with 'em both, in my esitmation, is that they're trying to be as much like a BOOK as they can, down to the e-ink. Trying to successfully imitate something isn't going to work.

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Personally, I think this is their strong points.

When I read, I want to read a book. Not a computer screen.

James81 said:

Personally, I think this is their strong points.

When I read, I want to read a book. Not a computer screen.

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That's sort of my point. The e-ink hasn't become synonymous with "book" in my head. Maybe some day. But the little gadgets still just feel like computers with screens than a book with pages and markings on the page.

That being said...I cheerfully admit how useless my opinion on the matter really is. I don't feel I can judge any of them for good or ill until I've taken one home and used it, yanno? How can I judge the comfort level until I've stretched out on the couch and read for a couple hours with a Kindle/Sony Reader/what-have-you. So until then, it's all just theory and talk.

I'm still waiting for an eReader to be able to duplicate the size and feel a beautifully illustrated children's book, and give a three-year old the same fascination as they turn page after page of fascinating story....


ETA: Welcome back, PeeDee.

ChaosTitan said:

I'm still waiting for an eReader to be able to duplicate the size and feel a beautifully illustrated children's book, and give a three-year old the same fascination as they turn page after page of fascinating story....


ETA: Welcome back, PeeDee.

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(Thankyew )

And that's a good point. My little guy has all sorts of board books with fuzzy ears and flaps that open and things. And also a big shelf of oversized books and lots of Golden Books.

...

I dunno. I still suspect that what we'll have happen is what tends to happen with these things: the technology appears and is used once or twice, in what it thought to be the use for it...and then a whole new and previously unimagined use suddenly appears and that's what the technology becomes.

...

I have two or three books on my cell phone. It's always with me anyway. It also has four or five CDs on it. Now THAT is a place I like having fiction. Because it means if I'm unexpectedly stuck in line, or waiting in the Doctor's office and didn't bring a book...I can take out my cell phone and read in Teeny Weeny Squint-O-Vision.

(Actually, my phone's got a lovely big screen for reading, but never mind)

I hear it's like $300.00 or more, so I'll never own one. A different thread brought up traveling, for that I can see owning a cheap version of this.

I would like a Kindle or similar, not because I want to give up my books (I still love them and strongly prefer them to reading on a screen) but simply because it would be such a boon for traveling. I am someone who does not get on a bus/train/plane without a couple of books, and a fast enough reader that on the average trip I finish everything I brought with me and buy more books before I get home. And books are HEAVY. If I could just throw in an e-reader and know that I'd have countless books at my proposal, I would LOVE that.

But the problem for me, right now, is you have to choose: You buy the hard copy or the e-copy. Period. Which means I'd have to have a library just for travel, or I have to give up my preferred medium (printed) in order to make things convenient for the traveling that doesn't really take up that much of my time. I wish books could come with an encoded clip or disk or something that would let you download the electronic copy AND own the print copy, to make them importable, like music from a CD.

I was looking on Amazon, last year, for a Kindle machine, but over here in the UK they don't do anything like that for us. Now, if we were some backward country I could understand it, but we're not, so when are we going to get something like this too?

Actually, my PC would be a much better place to read novels. Although I really love my paper books, I have a slow growing cataract on my left eye and I also have arthritis in my neck and wrists. Holding books up to read them is a bit of a pain in the arse neck, and I need loads of light in which to read.
Ever since I've been on the internet, I have voiced many times that I would like a way to read up to date novels on my PC. Oh yes, I can go to ebook sites and download all the old stuff, but I don't want that, I want modern novels to read. I cannot understand why they can't put modern novels, or any kinds of novels, onto CD roms and charge the same money for them as they would a paper novel. We could go into a bookshop and pick up the CD rom of a particular book instead of the paper ones.
I've actually had my husband cutting up books and scanning them, page by page, for me so that I could read them as PDFs. Just think how much easier it would be, and how much time could be saved, for people like me if I could buy my novels in this kind of way.

Too. Expensive.

Not to mention it's less than user-friendly to the new user who wants to figure out how to get books. DRM, PUB, Mobipocket, PDF...

Until everyone gets the same format, prices drop AND you get color it'll never be anything more than a novelty item.

imo, of course.

Wayne K said:

I hear it's like $300.00 or more, so I'll never own one. A different thread brought up traveling, for that I can see owning a cheap version of this.

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Keep your eye on the Kindle 1. I figure a whole host of them are going to spring up at used costs for chump change.

I would also agree that e-ink isn;t there yet. Digital music sounds the same as from a CD or record(or better). But paper is still superior to screen.

James81 said:

Keep your eye on the Kindle 1. I figure a whole host of them are going to spring up at used costs for chump change.

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When it's chump change, I can see getting one for travel. It's got to be at a price point where, if I accidentally leave it on the bus, my wife isn't going to eviscerate me.

I can see it being like my iPod, which mostly sits around and does nothing when I'm at home, but is invaluable when I'm traveling.

Music and books are simply two different media. As long as you can plug a set of headphones in and listen to crisp audio recordings, you're happy. So that leads to digitization, and CDs led the way many years ago already -- and the iPod made personal music devices much easier to use and carry and can hold more songs and media than anybody could ever actually own..... that starts the whole new channel of music distribution... and the ball keeps rolling.

Videos are the same way -- and LDs and DVDs started the revolution more than 15 years ago. The portable media devices are just a logical progression of that as video compression technologies continue to improve.

Books, on the other hand, are a completely different experience and medium. Books are all about WORDS. Even audio books have a hard time replacing regular books because READING is fundamentally different than LISTENING -- they use different parts of the brain.

So the challenge of e-Books isn't so much a matter of digitizing books, etc. Even e-Ink is just trying to imitate the reading experience -- look at it this way, no matter how things are different with videos and music, the audience is still experiencing them the same way: listen through the ears, and watch through the eyes. Books, in their purest forms, are to be READ.

So, e-books and e-readers are not trying to change how people read, but making it more convenient and easy. So instead of carrying 50 pounds of books on your vacation, now you have a single device that weighs less than a paperback, but can hold 1000 books and magazines. What's not to love? The e-Ink technology tries to solve the nagging issue of digital texts -- eye strains. Computer/handheld monitors simply can't sustain long-term reading habits. The iPhone is not a viable solution because, really, try to read the iPhone screen for more than a few minutes at a time -- you will be running to the eye doctors in no time.

For as long as people still prefer to READ books the same way -- text on some flat surface -- nothing is going to change much except for better devices and better selections. Perhaps more multimedia. Listen to music while you read -- a more rounded experience. Color devices would be a great addition too -- so you can read your favorite graphic novels and full-color magazines and children's books.

Other than that, I think portability is another issue. The Kindle, etc. are great but they're still a bit clunky. You still can't bring them to the beach and "curl up" with it. You can't toss them in your purse or book bag and jostle them around. They're delicate little computers. And they can't be too small like a PDA that fits into your pocket, and they can't be too big. So there's some inherent problems with e-Book readers.

Perhaps a device that is as small as an iPhone/iPod Touch with non-backlit screens? That way, you have a small device (that fits in your pocket or purse) that is durable and can play music, videos, YouTube, games, etc. but also can display e-Ink books. Now that would be a killer device.

Or something that is ultra portable, such as think LCD technology that is paper-thin and you can roll them up like a newspaper? And instant downloads: The Kindle is going in the right direction by adding their own wifi/3G technologies for instant downloads. So now you can have your news and current issue of Playboy downloaded immediately on your device and take it anywhere in the world, in your briefcase, messenger bags or maybe even small enough to be in your wallet...

Once that kind of devices are available, then it opens the door to a multimedia experience: videos, music, games, texts, books... you can LISTEN to the audio portion of the book while you read. Or you can watch a video instead. Or listen to a soundtrack while you read. Or stop reading and just listen. Etc. etc.

The question is, would people stop READING at all? I don't really think so. Even the Internet and 24-hour TV and YouTube can't change people's habit of reading. But there is a distant possibility that reading may become a lesser and lesser form of entertaining. Why read a book when you can just watch a movie?

What is saving books is that they're cheap. And eBooks will continue to bring the price down. Why spend $30 on a book when you can get the same thing (with full color pictures, and multimedia, perhaps) for $9.95? So that would be the evolution the publishing industry will have to look into. What kind of media and what price points are they going to offer, to compete with other entertainments such as movies, TV, videos, and games?

I'd agree that a device is going to replace books.

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I hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime. I hate reading on line. (Other than the short editing & tranx I've done.) For fun? For research? Can't beat books.

Then there's that whole 'trust' issue; but that belongs in PC&E

Unique said:

I hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime. I hate reading on line. (Other than the short editing & tranx I've done.)

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But what is it that you hate about it? Is it the eye strain? e-Ink would fix that. Is it because you have to sit at the computer? A hand-held, paperback size device would fix that. Is it because the font size, etc? A device that has adjustable font sizes would fix that. Is it because you want something to hold and have the feel of paper in your hands? Future devices could change that.

Sometimes, never say never. I know Stephen Spielberg said something about DVDs about five or six years ago -- that he would NEVER embrace digital videos. Well, he changed his mind (well, sort of... he still does his editing on an analog machine despite the advancement in non-linear digital editing... he admits that he's a dinosaur when it comes to technologies -- that's a shocker considering he's the guy who brought ups ET, Close Encounter, and all those sci-fi movies).


I, for one, would LOVE to have a handheld device that gives me instant access to information, search capabilities, indexing, bookmarks, etc. -- NONE of that available with print. I would give up the look and feel (and nice smell of books) for that kind of convenience. The iPhone is very close to that nirvana, except the screen creates eye strains.



I mean, some people, in 2009, still say they won't download music or videos, etc. They would rather have a CD in their hands. I can understand that -- people who grew up with watching films and listening to LPs don't trust these "digital files." But more and more people are switching over, though. I've known people who have listened to nothing but LPs and cassettes now are download music from iTune because "it's so convenient and they can just download what they actually want." And they can take the music anywhere, or play it on any devices they own. No CDs to break. No need to carry them around. So, I have seen "dinosaurs" actually embracing the new technology.

So it comes down to this: What can the technologies do to make it easier and worthwhile for the consumers?

In order for eBooks to go the way of digital music and videos, they have to overcome these:

a) convenience (I think they're getting there with instant downloads, the form factor of the eBook readers, etc.)

b) price

c) durability (I think people can adjust to that -- people aren't going to throw their iPods onto the pavement or toss their iPhones on the ground... but yeah, you're not going to be able to dump the thing in water as you would be able to do with books).

d) user experience


I think D is the sticking point. Part of the beauty of digital music and video is that their qualities are continuing to improve. Watching an HD video is better than watching it at a theater sometimes. Digital music could have greater fidelity than CD audio (what with oversampling and surround sounds, etc.)

But how can you improve on the experience of READING?

I think we're on the right path, though. I recently "read" a flip-book online and it was really neat. To me, that bridges the gap between my experiences with books and magazines and the online experience. While I still like to be able to feel the glossy paper, the convenience seemed to make up for it.

For me, the deal-breaker is simple: I should forget about the medium I'm using, when reading the work. That's it. Whether digital does that or not is just fine. As it stands, the ebook readers don't. If they do in the future, well, super-duper.

I never sit down and think "I am turning thin leafs of paper bound together with glue and string in a cardboard spine with cardstock cover pages attached," and it never crosses my mind while reading.

Whereas, I can't disengage enough from an eBook reader just to get into the story.

Maybe it'll change. And like Spielberg, I may be the dinosaur. And that's all right too.

I think you have a good point, PeeDee (and good to see you here), as I described above (D: user experience).

Part of why digital media is gaining ground now is that they've broken through the user experience barriers. When you're watching an HD video or listening to your iPod, you're not distracted by the devices. You're just watching it on a (beautiful) HD TV screen. That's why iPod changes the game of digital media/music because the iPod is so simple -- you forget about it.

So, yeah, the user experience is the final hurdle for e-Books. Like I said, how do you improve on the user experience of READING?

However, if they break through that barrier, I think we'll be seeing a whole new generation of cool and wonderful "books" that would change the entire industry much like how the gramophone changed music.

...and actually, the moreand more I talk about eBook readers, the more I come to this opinion:

In addition to wanting it to replace, or augment, or duplicate my reference library (because when I'm not writing at home, it'd be nice to have access without a car-trunk full of books)...

I don't need books revolutionized for me. When a technology doesn't work well enough, it does get replaced by something that works equally as well and, eventually, better. And for me, books are just fine. The limitations of books have not gotten in my way even a little.

But magazines and comic books...are dinosaurs. Remember that Stephen King article about the sad life of bookshelf fiction magazines? Tucked away on a bottom rack, if you're lucky, in a dusty corner of the magazine rack. And comic books. I rarely buy comics anymore, preferring to wait for the graphic novel binding. The delivery method is outdated and doesn't work.

Give me a device which is a nice size and shape (a high-res screen the size of the Kindle or the Sony reader would be fine) which shows me comic pages. Give me a device with wireless internet access so that I can go onto iTunes, or Marvel.com, or whatever and set up a monthly subscription system so that when each new issue comes out, it's downloaded and made available to me.

Do the same with magazines of short fiction.

In these cases, it's replacing something that is outmoded and broken and has already become increasingly irrelevant. It doesn't stop me buying the graphic novel bindings of the comic books I'm enjoying reading on my device. It just means I don't wait exclusively for it. And it means I support fiction magazines instead of waiting for the stories to be anthologized somewhere.

In these cases, they're replacing the outdated part without replacing every aspect of comic/magazine sales.

Gimme something like that, and I can see being sorely tempted into buying it. Just talking about it makes me excited.

maestrowork said:

I think you have a good point, PeeDee (and good to see you here), as I described above (D: user experience).

Part of why digital media is gaining ground now is that they've broken through the user experience barriers. When you're watching an HD video or listening to your iPod, you're not distracted by the devices. You're just watching it on a (beautiful) HD TV screen. That's why iPod changes the game of digital media/music because the iPod is so simple -- you forget about it.

So, yeah, the user experience is the final hurdle for e-Books. Like I said, how do you improve on the user experience of READING?

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Exactly so. HD movies, the size of my television, and the comfort of my couch has now reached a place where it has completely replaced me going to the movie theater. I only do that for special films I think it's good to see in the theater (I went to see Coraline to support the studio, the film, and Neil Gaiman; I went to see Indiana Jones 4 because I always wanted to see an Indy film in theaters. Etc). But beyond that, I have no desire to go to the theater. The experience is replicatd, and improved upon, at home.

The iPod, likewise, gets out of the way and lets me and my music connect. It didn't always, it took some generations, but it does now.

That's why I think that books are, actually, not the greatest angle for eBook readers right now. Books are fine. The things that the eBook readers are trying to improve don't necessarily need to be fixed yet. Why not repair broken delivery systems, like comics and magazines and, and, I dunno, cookbooks...and then, from there, evolve into a creature that delivers fiction more and more often.

I also mentioned that I think the best areas to gain grounds on are periodicals (magazines, newspapers, etc.), graphic novels... probably cookbooks, too -- especially with add-on features such as "search for everything that has to do with soup and squash." or "I want to make a dinner for four for under $30 -- now SEARCH." That'd be a killer app for that genre.

I can see how the iPhone photo apps with the "flip" interface would be adapted for graphic novels, for example, or flip-books such as glossy magazines and newspapers. The technology is here now -- it's just a matter of time someone builds software and media for it.

Another area of improvement and application would be references -- you no longer need to sit at a computer and Google something. And everything would context sensitive and delivered to you instantly. I think the iPhone is heading that way -- I can search wikipedia on a dish while I'm having it at a restaurant which I found on Yelp and use Google Map/GPS to get there.... Talk about a total experience.


For fiction, it may actually have to go into some kind of RPG territory. Some of the video games out there now (such as Grand Theft Auto) are nothing but fiction in game form. The problem is, with READING fiction, people want to forget they're reading. So the technology has to get out of the way. So what is better than just ink and paper?

Beats me. If I knew, I would be a billionaire now.