Re: The right device at last?

On May 15, 2008, at 8:29 PM, Bill Janssen wrote:

> Aaron Walker asks:
>> 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?
>
> Because the alternative (paper book) is so good?  It provides a
> cognitive template that influences how people think about ereader
> devices -- they shouldn't cost much more than a book.
>

My experience of the consumer market is different. People see me with  
my Kindle, and are instantly caught up in my enthusiasm for it. About  
half aren't phased by the price now. I would imagine that all or most  
of that half would buy if the price were half what it is, and many  
more would buy at $100.

This is, however, in NYC. That matters, because we're not a car-city,  
so the ability to carry lots of books with little weight or volume is  
more critical. Reading on the subway is more normal than not, and who  
wants to lug more than they have to? Even the size of a newspaper or  
the weight of a couple of paperbacks becomes an issue.

Normal Americans might be a tad slower to adopt, but even so, I would  
imagine some groups will be truly excited -- editors, agents,  
lawyers, teachers and professors, among others who are carrying far  
too much paper around. The 10 cents/document fee to move it onto the  
Kindle, or the ability to do it directly from your computer for the  
Kindle and other readers, can be an enormous relief to overtired  
shoulders and backs!




Marion Gropen
Gropen Associates, Inc.
www.GropenAssoc.com
Offering Financial Advice By-The-Question,
Downloadable Profit-Enhancing Tools,
and Classes to the Small Press Community.




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