Re: The right device at last?

On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 12:37 PM, Aaron Walker <[email protected]> wrote:

>   We are really playing ourselves cheap here.
>   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?
>
> 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?
>


You're working both sides of the issue toward the middle and don't seem to
realize it. Let me make it simple.

Someone who can AFFORD an iPod and doesn't mind that income going to the
device can likely afford to replace an iPod, like it or not, if it's lost.
Not everyone has that kind of expendable income, and the people who can't or
won't buy an iPod will NEVER buy an iPod, but they will buy something
similar that costs 10% of the iPod price. You acknowledge that and then
disregard it, but it's the solid fact and isn't likely to change soon.

The truth is, there are a lot of people out there with $15
rechargeable-minutes cell phones. Other people get the cell phone Verizon
will give them free with signing a contract, because the contract PLUS the
$100 phone or even $60 is more than they can or will spend. So, yes... While
it may not be an issue for YOU, there are a lot of people who do wait for
what they consider a reasonable price to spend. And if they lose that cell
phone, they may be in a world of hurt.

In fact, there are children's electronics that are made to be pretty much
throw-away. They gave out little electronic hand-held games at McDonald's
just a few months back. If you want to know the truth, my husband knows how
much the electronics that go into these units actually cost to produce, and
the mark-up on them is astronomical. There is no reason TODAY we should have
to pay $200 for a unit, but we do...if we purchase it at all. We do, because
there's no other game in town...or at least not one that costs less than
$119 or so, faults or no.

OTOH, I don't think we're selling ourselves cheap. If we were talking about
the books being given away, we'd be selling ourselves cheap. The readers?
No. You get them into the readers cheaply, and they don't mind spending at
or just below mass market for an e-book to read on it, though some readers
DO balk at spending $199 for the reader and then also buying the books at
paper prices. That's just business sense.

Someone else said it. We're competing with every type of entertainment out
there. You can get an MP3 player for $25...a decent amount of storage for
the songs, too. You can get a CD Walkman for less than that...or for about
the same, if it will do both WAV and MP3. You can get a DVD player for
$70-$100...the portable ones with the small screen. We have to be able to
compete with all of those items...or have a single unit that does it
all...though I still think we need a reader-only unit for schools and people
who don't want bells and whistles.

Brenna
-- 
http://www.brennalyons.com http://www.myspace.com/brennalyons
Fairy Dreams is the best bar none fantasy romance that I have ever read! The
action is non-stop; the deep abiding love so well portrayed that you feel as
though you are experiencing it yourself. Regina for Coffee Time Romance


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