e-Reader worth it? Or facing extinction vs. tablets/smartphones?

Tablets and smart phones still have a couple of disadvantages against e-readers.

The biggest is that e-readers like the Kindle have extremely easy to read "electronic ink" that simulates ink on paper very well. You can read it in bright light, on the beach, etc. It also doesn't give you a headache or have glare.

Also: Price. E-readers are dropping in price faster than tablets.

They also have a big market for those that are less tech savvy. My Mom would easily be able to use and read a Kindle, but she is not going to want to mess with an IPad or Slate.

Until the tablets can overcome that completely, I believe there is a market for e-readers.

 

Tablets make no sense unless you don't have a computer or smart phone.

 

This.

However, I prefer a real book. And there's nothing quite like admiring your own little library.

 

I don't understand this sentence.

 

If you have no computer or smartphone, a tablet computer may make sense.

If you have one or both, chances are a tablet is a waste of money.

 

Thanks.

 

I have a computer and an Android. I also have an iPad. There is no way I can use my phone as an e-reader or as a computing device. The iPad has been incredibly useful since I bought it and on some trips can replace my laptop since I can use VPN and RDP to access my work desktop.

 

Eventually the technology will outpace the e-reader..

DD

 

I now read exclusively on my iPhone.

 

For those of us that don't have an iPhone, I love my Kindle. Since I can't use an iphone with Verizon I don't want one. Until then I have a tool for every use. Kindle for my books, Zune for my music and Envy for my phone

I can see where the market is losing ground, but I doubt it faces extinction yet.

 

Amazon is going to make a killing on these during the Holiday season. At $139 that falls into the consumer electronics sweet spot, while the iPad is almost 4x the price.

If you like gadgets, it seems like a reasonable buy at $139. Not sure how much the e-books cost, but should be between $10-$13, correct? So you might be saving a buck or two off the cover price.

 

You can add in the Tom Tom and Garmin as things with a shorter leash too.

DD

 

I see both of those guys getting bought out within the next year or so. Their long term viability is in question now that integrated GPS functionality is becoming more and more commonplace in smartphones. Broadcom's been talking about GPS standalone and combo chips gaining traction in 2H10.

 

There's another huge advantage to a Kindle, if it's important to you: A 3G Kindle can use the cell networks for free in many foreign countries. If you buy a 3G iPad, you'll have to pay service fees to the cell carriers wherever you are, and pay for the books.

 

I agree, and as OLED technology takes off, all these functions will become more integrated into a standard multipurpose device...which is probably the phone.

Maybe an attachment for the phone that also allows for a bigger fold out screen?

DD

 

I agree with this. I have a Nook and this is something I really like about it. I would not want to read on a phone or iPad.

 

I think y'all are vastly underestimating the value of the e-Ink. For me, the eye strain of reading books on a computer/iPad/etc. is an absolute deal-breaker in terms of why I would never use one to read regularly.

I have a Sony reader and it's my primary source for books.

 

Sorry, I should probably have amended that to "laptop" instead of computer. Point being that you can get a far more functional laptop for less than the cost of a ipad.

 

So the idea is not that e-books will be extinct, but just that they will be on a different platform. In that case, the books will still be available for you to read on the e-reader you're buying today. You might have to convert the format or something but it'll be there.