Why I Won’t Pay $99+ for an eReader
About two months ago, I was sitting on the couch during a book club meeting, listening to one of the ladies rave about Kindles and how she would love to buy one. She got me so excited about the prospect of owning one that I almost went to Barnes&Noble to take one for a test drive. But then I made myself stop and think.
Yes, it would be nice to have a bigger screen to read the books I download to my iTouch, which has so much more to offer than the Kindle. But the price for the Kindle is too high and has been for quite some time. However, after reading an article about the success of Dan Brown’s latest book I have a feeling that the price for these gadgets may go down (except for the iTouch) as the demand for them increases to the point where they are mainstream.
At the moment, people just don’t see their value. Price is the main factor right now. Then the industry has to work out some kinks first, such as Amazon’s fiasco over the confiscated eBooks a few months ago. Customers need to know that the ebooks they download are their property. The reviews of the Kindle is the second biggest factor as to why I’m waiting.
Source: ReadWriteWeb
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I’ve been following the E-book market for some months now. I don’t feel your content is worth reading here, your not giving much here. Why are the book-club ladies excited about eReaders? Why does the Dan Brown success signal to you the price will decrease? Greater demand does not indicate lower prices. I agree that price is a main factor for eReaders to reach ‘critical mass’ but that is the current prices, $200 to $450. Why would you not buy an eReader for $99? You never answered your own question, unless I’m missing something.
I would pay $99 for an eReader. Actually, that’s the price I’m looking for. So here is my prediction for the eReader market once it matures. $99-$150 will be the settling out point for a quality eReader. $50-$75 will be the no-frills models, and eventually, we will see these devices sold on late night TV for $19-$29, cheap Chinese ones.
I am interested in eReaders because I have been collecting PDF’s for years being an engineer. I have many that I haven’t read & I am looking forward to read these in bed at night before I sleep.
However there are a few qualities which I consider a ‘must-have’ or I will not buy one. The eReader MUST accept PDF’s via cut-paste/drag-drop. I am not interested in another format war, it’s boring, corporately selfish, & I don’t have the patience for it. I am not interested in another extension for text/images on my PC. Let me yell this one, PDF’s SHOULD BE THE CROSS-MANUFACTURER & PLATFORM FOR EREADERS. I’ve seen many others online who share my opinion. Any company that tries to make a propriatary eReader format I will not support. The PC MUST recognize an eReader the same as a USB flash drive or external hard drive. I MUST be able to comment and highlight the content of the PDF. Reading a 1000 page manual and not being able to highlight is a waste of my time. If I go back to the same PDF in a month, I have to start over, I don’t remember anything. If I can reference my highlights, I am back up to speed on the equipment in minutes referencing my past notes/highlights. Other characteristics I am waiting for: $99-$150 price, 8″x”11 (or A4) screen size, long battery life, lightweight & thin, durable, slip-in case included, color screen.
Anyway, there’s two cents.
Cheers,
mrpotts
Thanks for your feedback regarding my post. To answer your questions:
The book club ladies were excited by the prospect of not having to load up their suitcases with books every time they went on vacation. The lady I was referring to reads as much as four books in 2-3 days. Perhaps if I had elaborated on this point, it would have made for a more interesting hook in this post.
Regarding Dan Brown: I based my prediction on the history of the gadget market, notably the cell phone and VCR niches. When they first hit the market, they were quite expensive. I forget how much the cell phones cost, but I remember that few people could afford to buy them until their manufacturers lowered the price. I was thrilled to see VCRs come down to the $100 price for basic models.
I’ve been online for over a decade and find myself surprised when I meet people who barely know how to use email, much less shop online. The lady I was talking about mentioned that you can go to your local Barnes&Noble to try out the Kindle. I had no idea because I do 99% of my shopping online. Once this segment of the population becomes more exposed to the Kindle and other eReaders, I think the industry will take off like the cell phone industry. This post should have stayed in draft mode for another day so that I could have checked it for clarity.
That said, I agree with you that every eReader should use the PDF format because it’s become so universal. I hate it when these companies use proprietary software and then charge up the wazoo for whatever reason they deem fit. You’re right; that’s corporately selfish.
I’d pay $99-$150 for the 8″x11″ version, with the features you listed. The reason is that I like to read how-to manuals that have a lot of graphics in them and sometimes grayscale doesn’t cut it. The ability to highlight information would also be a nice feature to have.
I’ve been talking about this on my website too, Deborah. I decided that I would not purchase a Kindle. I think it’s too limiting. But I’d definitely buy an ebook reader for $99 if they were available in Australia. Unfortunately, they are not which is disappointing. In fact, we haven’t been able to find ANY ebook readers in our area. My only options are to purchase online, which I’m dubious about, or buy an iPhone and iPod. At the moment, the iPod is looking like the best option for me.
I need to think about it a bit (a lot) longer.
Karen Lee Field´s last blog ..Kindle, Sony and the iPhone
I liked your article, Karen.
You’re right about the Kindle; it’s way overpriced for what it is. You’ll get much more for your money with an iTouch.
I don’t think that the Kindle is overpriced. Especially since they have lowered their price in the recent past. I would say that as demand become greater the price will fall. The real test will be after Christmas. If the Christmas rush is good for Amazon and the Kindle, I foresee the Kindle price falling once again.
Kenneth Elliott | Digital Book Reader´s last blog ..PSP e-book Reader
I agree with you, Kenneth. I’m hoping that the combination of Barnes&Noble’s Nook and the Christmas rush will create a surge of demand for devices like these.