RE: The right device at last?

We are really playing ourselves cheap here.
 
I don't have money falling out of my wallet either but a sub $200 dollars (follow up information says they are looking to price the 5 inch base model at $159 USD) is something to look forward to.
 
It's the breaking of the $200 mark that will make more people notice, especially if the company follows through with plans to have it available at Target, Wal-mart, Costco. Average Joe Citizen will finally be able to see one in the flesh, play around with it, and see the reasonable price tag. And just like with any new gizmo, the cheaper they get, the more people get interested.
 
And since when are any consumer electronics throw away or easily replaces when lost? Try telling that to an iPod Touch owner, or someone who paid a little more for a better mobile phone than the freebie only to discover they left it in a cab.
 
And then what happens? THEY GO OUT AND REPLACE IT. They get that new iPod or new cell phone.
 
So why do e-reading devices have to fall into the category of throw away devices when no other consumer electronic device is looked at the same way? Nobody likes to lose anything. 
 
At it's heart, all an iPod does is play music. Apple has added a few other things since but it is still just an MP3 player. And for that people pay up to $299.99 to essentially play music. Those who can't afford the $299.99, get one of the cheaper iPods or look at the competition. But last time I check, Apple was still selling boatloads of $299.99 iPods.
 
The correlation here is what keeps getting missed, the iPod is essentially a single use device, it plays music. An e-reader is essentially a single use device, you read books on it.
 
Why must an e-reader have to be so cheap people "don't mind" losing it but no other device is looked at the same way?
 
So, since 
But if they do
 
Aaron J. Walker
Writer/Illustrator
"Good Morning, Friend Moon"Publisher
http://www.walkbroadpublishing.com


To: ebook-community-hHKSG33Tihig7M29m/[email protected]: [email protected]: Wed, 14 May 2008 23:49:49 -0400Subject: Re: [ebook-community] The right device at last?




On Wed, 14 May 2008, Robotech_Master wrote:> But still, I think the "right" ebook reader will only come > along when something with similar specs is available for under > $100, and preferably under $50.At $200, my reaction was "only a factor of ten to go". A friend of mine had a nice phrase - the device needs to be priced to be "a lamentable loss" if it is lost, stolen, or broken. Since we'll assume (hopefully) that people will still spend money on content, the device itself has to be super low priced.The "runs Linux" needs to be taken carefully. This does NOT automatically mean that you're free to add your own apps to the device.Linux is increasingly being deployed in "appliance mode". Think SplashTop - if your BIOS has this then you have a basic Linux web+email terminal, with a boot time
  of 5 seconds. But - you can't add your own applications.This is why ebook format is so important. Formats need to be stable enough that I can buy a device and use it for 5 to 10 years - or longer - with no plan to ever upgrade the software. From this point of view, e-ink is of minor relevance. More important is the long-term stability of the formats.:: chris smith :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: nihil tam munitum quod non expugnari pecuna possit - cicero :: 






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