Friday, October 13, 2006
Ebooks
Since I'm heavy reader, someone sent me a link to an article about ebooks the other day. It basically wonders if the latest iPod whatever will make ebooks successful in general.
My opinion is no. I'll be up front and let you know that I think most things Apple are overhyped, and that I'm one of the probably two or three semi-techies left who don't own a iPod. But that is really immaterial here.
There are a great many things that ebook readers will probably never be, that to me, seem necessary for success. Number one is the cost - $200 to $300 is just too much for a reader. If I have a paperback and drop it, the most I lose is one paperback - $7 retail and $0.50 via Salvation Army, and that's assuming I drop it down a hole or into the toilet - probably nothing will happen to it. If I drop my ebook reader - Apple or otherwise, I lose not only that book, but the $300 infrastructure needed to support it - along with any other book I may have had loaded. And let's face it, the probability of damage is WAY so much higher dropping an ebook reader.
Batteries are a big problem. Most current ebook thingies need to be recharged. They have some super-duper lithium cell inside that often can't even be user replaced. My Palm IIIxe, yes that old thing, at least uses standard AAA batteries. One set will last for weeks of use and I always keep a couple handy for replacement. Most of the new readers (specialized ones as well as general purpose PDAs) have battery life that is measure in hours.
I'm not a real fast reader, but can go through two or three good paperbacks on a 8 - 10 hour bus ride. From what I've read, most ebook readers would need recharging during this trip. For a long trip, I often buy cheap used paperbacks and leave them when I finish. I'm not going to do that with a $300 reader.
The place I can see ebooks coming into their own is in schools. It's nothing to spend $100 for a couple of text books that will be obsolete next semester. Tossing them into an ebook would be the way to go. Updates would be easy (how many times have you sweated over a math example just to find out the example was incorrect). Using them for reference would great as well - quick, how many times does "cold" appear in Macbeth? Of course, knowing universities, they'd still probably charge $100 for them.
To me, a usable ebook reader for enjoyment would have to be relatively cheap - definitely under $200; sturdy - dropping it off my desk shouldn't cause a twinge of worry; have the ability to use standard batteries (at least for emergency backup); and sized no bigger than a paperback (reference/school versions could be more the size of a text book).
