Article: E-readers: Can the Kindle avoid repeating the video-game crash of

[VectorGamer]

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/12/02/e-readers-can-the-kindle-avoid-repeating-the-video-game-crash-o/

[Video]

I wouldn't necessairly count Ebay sales as proof that something is rare or anything. I seriously doubt I'm the only one that would head up Ebay befor ploping down $200+ for nothing more than a dedicated (read crippled) notebook computer.

 

Anyhow, interesting read, but I doubt the Ebook market is going anywhere, it's been around far longer than kindle, and will be here long after too.

[DrLove0378]

I predict these e-readers will suffer the same fate as the Nintendo/Olympus e-Reader: FAIL. Buy a netbook instead -- sometimes they're on sale for about the same price.

[Seob]

The one thing most people forget when comparing a ebook with a computer, is that a ebook uses E-inkt instead of a lcd screen. Making long readings on a ebook more pleasant for the eye. Also e-books are also good to read when in full sunlight. At night one must use a light to read e-book, because E-inkt uses reflected light.

And third the e-book uses only power when the screen is updated. So it is less power hungry.

[Video]

Yeah.....except it's still just a screen. Put a video in onto an E ink screen, and any computer in the world could run it....beyond the hugely overpriced screen (which is actually quiet old tech by the way, not quiet as old as LCD, but still up there) it's still just a really crippled down computer.

[godslabrat]

Ebooks are going to be the next tablet pc-- very popular for a small segment of the market, but not going to replace their predecessor as many predict. The reason is simple: the dead-tree book is just too damned good at what it does. It's light, never needs batteries, has an amazing contrast ratio, and no one ever asks you to turn it off so the captain can get ready for takeoff. Dead-tree books have been in development for at least 3,000 years, so they've had quite a bit more time to refine the format. Plus, they're pretty cheap, and if you spill a drink on one, it doesn't ruin your whole collection. Oddly enough, despite publishers whining about how much it costs to print books, digital versions of books aren't that much cheaper.

 

I think it'll be a great tool for businesses and schools, and probably even in medicine, but overall, not gonna replace dead trees.

 

Oh and for the record, I thought this was about a nintendo product too.

[Video]

That's the thing though. Consumers will rarely see (if ever) any savings on digital as opposed to physical formats. Ebooks VS tree books won't see a change there.

 

The publisher is right, it costs an enormous amount to print a hard copy book, the various people, author, publisher, etc, see very little money from an actual book, and if it bombs they're out that money. But Ebooks, beyond the writer having to take time to write it, are basically free, (and technically, the author can skip the publishers and whatnot, so they have a means of making a LOT more money, with far fewer sales)

 

Honestly, E books, while a cool Idea, will never replace true books, at least, not with the current stranglehold on DRM and what not. Free Ebooks are great, they are a good way to keep reading material, low cost, no storage space (and low digital storage) so as long as you can freely make copies or whatever so you don't loose it, they are Ok, but only just.

[Albert]

I'd love to have a Kindle or Nook, but waiting to see what Apple's long-rumored tablet ends up being. I'm guessing it'll be a more traditional computing device that also supports eBooks and more advanced (interactive) periodicals than we've seen on eBook readers to date. But it'll surely have a traditional LCD screen, which negates some of the benefits of the ePaper screens (easier on the eyes, longer battery life). Could be interesting.

 

..Al

[VectorGamer]

Do what I do - download the PDF and send it to the printer at work...

 

double-sided print, of course...

[NE146]

I predict these e-readers will suffer the same fate as the Nintendo/Olympus e-Reader: FAIL. Buy a netbook instead -- sometimes they're on sale for about the same price.

 

Yeah but a netbook sucks ass to read on. I prefer paper.. or in lieu of that, I am digging the e-ink thing.

 

I plan on snagging an e-book (ok.. e-ink display device) eventually. They're getting cheaper now with all the competition out there, and it definitely will not be for computer functions. It's for reading bootlegged PDF's, tech manuals, comics, & documents. Specifically

 

Do what I do - download the PDF and send it to the printer at work...

 

double-sided print, of course...

 

Did that for years and years as the huge huge stacks of printed paper I own (many bound) can tell you. That shit just gets too bulky

[Albert]

e-ink thing.

I plan on snagging an e-book (ok.. e-ink display device) eventually. They're getting cheaper now with all the competition out there, and it definitely will not be for computer functions. It's for reading bootlegged PDF's, tech manuals, comics, & documents. Specifically

Man, this just made me think of a color e-ink display that you could read these on:

 

Atari Force Comics - all 21 Issues in PDF available

 

The Kindle DX with its larger screen, but in color, would be great for comics.

 

..Al

[pinball22]

Yesterday there was a headline on my desktop news ticker thing that said "Nook Chases Kindle At Snail's Pace".

 

I pictured an annoying raccoon chasing a Kindle, presumably in the hopes of putting it in his store at a highly inflated price.

[vdub_bobby]

I'm not convinced by the comparison between ebooks and the crash of 83, mostly because the author doesn't really know what he's talking about.

 

The NES revived the industry...in 1987?

 

Also, his description of the causes of the crash are incredibly shallow and demonstrably false. Most of it reads as indistinguishable from...2009!

By [2009], video games had been around for [three] decade, but their [seventh] generation, in the [mid 2000s], flooded the market with consoles and hastily produced games. Consumers could choose between the [Xbox 360], the [PS3], the [Wii], and many other similar hardware systems whose games could only be played on that model. With so many devices on the market -- and overhyped games, like [brutal Legend/D.J. Hero/Avatar/Tony Hawk Ride/etc.], whose sales did not live up to expectations -- consumers had little to distinguish among consoles, or to choose one over another.

 

Price also factored heavily into the video game crash: as consoles were glutting the shelves, personal-computer prices were plunging. A console designed only for games cost a few hundred dollars, but the [$379 Toshiba Mini] could play games (with sound and color) and had enough memory and storage for word processing and home accounting. A budget computer, the [$179 Konaki], [might as well have been] marketed with the tagline, "Why buy just a video game?"

 

With so many options, it was inevitable that retailers would mark down video games and consoles considerably. Unfortunately for their marketers, those massive price cuts came as hardware and development costs skyrocketed.

History FAIL.

Edited January 10, 2010 by Albert

[Seob]

Many forget that the crash wasn't that huge outside of the States. Here in Europe, we didn't have a crash at all. I only heard about a video-game crash when i came online a few years ago when starting collecting.

I just read a Dutch article, where people where using digital photo-frames as a sort of e-book. It doesn't have a e-ink display, but it has color, one could use a version with onboard battery for portability and you could buy a big version so that a magazine size booklet would read on scale.

You off course have to export pdf to jpg files to use them.

[Video]

e-ink thing.

I plan on snagging an e-book (ok.. e-ink display device) eventually. They're getting cheaper now with all the competition out there, and it definitely will not be for computer functions. It's for reading bootlegged PDF's, tech manuals, comics, & documents. Specifically

Man, this just made me think of a color e-ink display that you could read these on:

 

Atari Force Comics - all 21 Issues in PDF available

 

The Kindle DX with its larger screen, but in color, would be great for comics.

 

..Al

 

That would interest me, a color Eink display. Until then, I have an older LCD that uses old school reflective TFT type stuff, and uses no light (wish you could buy modern counterparts, as the non backlit LCD was actually quiet easy on they eyes in comparison to the modern backlit versions)

 

Besides, people will argue that you don't need color to read books, but being a huge fan of comics, I'd just have to differ, and if it had acrobat or something, you could put all your game instructions etc on it too. Even if you stick just to reading, it simply doesn't make sense to me to limit yourself to monochrome.

[NE146]

Thanks for the heads up Al.. I've snagged that entire torrent and am now seeding

 

As for comics.. I don't mind b&w.. currently a lot of the translated "Naruto" manga (yeah yeah.. shaddup ) I read is all B&W anyway