CNET predicts dedicated ereaders are doomed technology

[jdav]

I think they may be right about blu-ray. Not many of my friends have bought. I think the ease of recording HD to hard-drive and that video can be streamed from so many devices leaves blu-ray on the same path as CD v MP3 Player.

With e-readers, I believe "bookworms" will choose e-readers for some time yet. Tablets are large and cumbersome and reading from a TFT screen is nowhere near as easy on the eyes as e-ink.

[crossi]

Who care. If eventually our readers have some additional fuctions but maintain the same advantages they have currently, well, good. Amazon will undoubtably eventually produce an enhanced kindle and all our books will still be readable on it. Ereader wo't die they will simply evolve. It won't be like when 8-tracks disappeared. All our books are digital and so transferable.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

... dedicated ereaders ... will soon be over taken by tablets ...

Maybe I will believe it, when I have seen a tablet that can be read outdoors, in bright sunlight, easily.

[wannabee]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

Maybe I will believe it, when I have seen a tablet that can be read outdoors, in bright sunlight, easily.

Hey, you just have to change seat direction. Best when overcast too.

Edit: says someone who doesn't read much from his gadget! Don't beat me up now.

[AGB]

Originally Posted by gmw

You don't mention where your corner of the world is. In my corner the only service (realistically) available is the Telstra "NextG" service for which telephone selections (that are recommended for remote regions) have been very limited. (The selection has expanded slightly in the years since I got the phone we are currently using.)

However I wonder if your post was intended to be amusing, that only seniors could want just-a-telephone. In your amusement it seems you may have missed my central point, that dedicated ereaders are probably doomed - regardless of those that may want just-a-reader - because eventually simple/dedicated readers wont be available. Eventually they will be incorporated into another device or vise-versa. Some telephones are already being used as readers, as are tablets. It may be that our 6" and 7" format readers will simply become portable tablets, the new Sony devices are really not that far off that now, just give them a colour screen. I see your comment that some models are already internet browsers, but they don't have sufficient capability to be treated as a tablet yet. I wonder if the various shortages are because manufacturers don't want to order too far in advance so they are best placed for the next steps that are almost certainly coming.

I don't know where he is, but here in Denmark, you can buy "senior phones" with or without a plan. You just walk into a shop or even better: buy it over the net. You don't need a plan to buy a cell phone.

[jdav]

I think weight and size are factors. A slim form 6 inch e-reader is much nicer to hold when you are reading in bed than a I-Pad.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by gmw

You don't mention where your corner of the world is. In my corner the only service (realistically) available is the Telstra "NextG" service for which telephone selections (that are recommended for remote regions) have been very limited. (The selection has expanded slightly in the years since I got the phone we are currently using.)

Europe.
Recently we have one fantastic provider called O2.
You buy your own phone beforehead. If you do not have money, they can make 1 year contract and you pay phone in 12 installments. Recently they have only one "plan" available, called Zero prepaid minutes, fair, flat constant rate regardless of where or when you call or whom you call, Zero monthly pay (if you do not call, obviously). You ONLY pay for minutes you actually use. You go for holiday for one month, you pay ... zero for that month. If you anticipate that you might want to call a lot in the next 30 days, you can activate "plan" - buy calling minutes wholesale. Just send an SMS, and they charge you some sum and ... voila ... here are your "free" minutes to spend. You spend that in 10 days, OK, send another activating SMS. Simple.

Even with the much less fair providers, you can purchase your own (unlocked) phone in supermarket and buy a service (and get a SIM for phone). They DO try very hard to persuade you to buy LOTS of prepaid minutes, they offer great phones in seemingly very attractive "plan packages" if you sign contract for 2 years ...

Originally Posted by gmw

However I wonder if your post was intended to be amusing, that only seniors could want just-a-telephone.

No. It was't intended to make fun of seniors.
LOTS of people of all age groups buy such phones, and lots of seniors are fond of their touch-screen gizmos.
But they *are* called phones for seniors. Officially.

I was trying to point you to somewhere where you could find your desired phone. I have used a very simple Nokia 3210 for many, many years. Then I caved in and got a phone with camera in a "too good to pass up" deal. It is great to have camera with you, you can snap picture of a connector you are just about to take apart, or make a photo of specs sheet you are too lazy to write on a piece of paper (that would get lost anyway ;-) )

Originally Posted by gmw

... that dedicated ereaders are probably doomed - regardless of those that may want just-a-reader - because eventually simple/dedicated readers wont be available.

Yes, they ARE doomed. Even now, all "better" models have at least a browser and mp3 player integrated, making them, (at least technically, at the moment) a combination of reader AND primitive browsing machine AND an mp3 player. Virtually nobody buys them primarily for browsing or mp3 functionality... yet.

I am not looking forward to time when you will HAVE to buy universal device - with some inevitable compromises to book-reading function. I am not against more functionality, for the same price, I just do not want to compromise the primary function ...

[jdav]

I agree Kacir. The though of being forced to take a mediocre book reader albeit a good general device, because the internet consuming masses have the market force, is an unpleasant thought.

[GreenMonkey]

"A tablet is not a perfect reader, but we're also not a nation of bookworms either. For most of us, the tablet is going to be good enough, especially since our real love is video and the web."

Sorta wrong. Sure, for a lot of people, the people that read 1-2 books a year. But I simply do not think those people will ever go to e-books. But I think plenty of real readers will always prefer a reading-driven device - enough that there will be a market for e-readers.

Valid points have been made about them also playing mp3s and such - but you could play mp3s on a 486-class computer - that's not something that requires an overhaul.

Even if they disappear, there's enough on the market now that you could always buy a handful of used ones...provided you've liberated your content from DRM, since there's no guarantee they'll be supporting older devices forever.

[astra]

Originally Posted by kacir

I am not looking forward to time when you will HAVE to buy universal device - with some inevitable compromises to book-reading function. I am not against more functionality, for the same price, I just do not want to compromise the primary function ...

We are in the same boat

[Nick_Djinn]

Articles like this are often funded by somebody....in this case probably apple. Cnet makes it money off of donations or advertising from the products they give reviews on, one way or another. Apple is a heavier hitter than Onyx Boox....Sony is heavy, but its not so invested in its ereaders like Apple is in its Ipad.

Personally, I think the Ipad sucks. I would not buy one. I would gladly trade it for a less expensive Galaxy tab which is Android. I think Android is the better operating system....maybe its not better than OSX Snow Leopard, but that isnt what you are getting on an Ipad. I prefer Android phones to Iphones, but OS aside the Ipad has crappy hardware with no USB slots and no support for flash memory or video flash. The thrill of watching a page actually turn isnt worth the eye strain of an LCD screen. Perl and E-ink is easier on the eye.

Ereaders and e-ink are not going anywhere, but they may likely merge with other products rather than be dedicated......maybe we will have screens that can produce E-ink like quality yet be suitable for animation and watching videos in full color.....when that happens, a single tablet will be able to do everything....but not until.

[jocampo]

I think that the eink technology will evolve but won't disappear, in my opinion. For instance, eink color or faster refresh rate.

It is always difficult to predict what is going to happen with science, depends of so many factors, but eink came to satisfy a necessity for a small and portable device which can replace thousand of books in a simple manner. As long as that need can be satisfied and avid readers exist, eink will exist as well, because the market and demand will be there too.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by silasgreenback

Cooley says:

"A tablet is not a perfect reader, but we're also not a nation of bookworms either. For most of us, the tablet is going to be good enough, especially since our real love is video and the web."

Hope he's wrong ...

Well, he is definitely wrong so far as I am concerned. I bought an e-reader to read e-books, not watch videos or surf the Web. I doubt that bookworms would ever be satisfied with a device that is a compromise - one that diminishes the reading experience. IMHO, any such universal device would have to be at least as good as the best e-readers that are currently available, and that is not the case with tablets at present. CNET focuses on the US, naturally, but it is not the only market for e-readers in the world.

[abookreader]

"A tablet is not a perfect reader, but we're also not a nation of bookworms either. For most of us, the tablet is going to be good enough, especially since our real love is video and the web."

ah - channeling the Steve Jobs "Nobody Reads Books Anymore" line of thought!

I agree that dedicated eReaders are devices that are best appreciated by dedicated readers. We are a niche and hopefully a niche that won't be forgotten in the tablet era. For the average woman and man about the street an ability to play Angry Birds is just as important as the kindness of eInk upon the eyes.

[jbcohen]

Did the mention the GPS? At the moment they are in the process of becoming a part of smart phones. In a few years I perdict there will be no dedicated GPSs your Smartphone will do that for you and a lot more.