snootyjim
It makes sense to me, personally.
If I could get a newspaper on an e-reader every day, and have thirty or so of my favourite books stored on it permanently, along with 3-4 more that I was interested in having a look at, all crammed into a device that could fit in a coat pocket, I reckon I would use it a lot.
Obviously it would be dependent on price (device and books) and DRM restrictions, but I think the concept's a good one.
I entirely agree with that, apart from the newspapers bit.
Unlike neon, I can see the point of e-readers,
if the price (and availability) of both content and the devices is right, and if any DRM doesn't hinder me, as a legit purchaser, too much.
Price? Under £100, or for me, it's a non-starter. Will it get to that level? Dunno.
Content pricing Here's my biggest problem. Given a choice between book and e-book, I will go for the printed one every time. And I'm
not forking over any significant part of that, again, for an e-version, let alone paying more for the e-version than the printed one as some vendors currently charge. That is just taking the p…. p…. proverbial.
What I expect is that if I buy the printed one, I get access to the e-version either included, or at best for a nominal charge. Will it happem? Dunno, but I'm not holding my breath.
Next, DRM. Once I've bought an e-version, I expect to be able to use it when and where I want. And I
absolutely want to be able to move it, device to device. If one device packs up, I expect to be able to reload content to it's replacement, and the same applies if I upgrade the hardware. I
will not buy into any device that uses a proprietary format where transfers to other devices aren't possible. I've been through that before, when you buy something on LP and they want you to buy it again on CD, or you buy it on DVD and they want you to buy it again on DVD. I'm not playing that game any more. In those examples, you've got physical media involved, so there's half a case for it, but when it's a case of deliberate DRM preventing you moving the content, well if the providers want to play that game they can, but they can play it without me, or with a lot of people that think like me.
So as for these price drops, it's a move in the right direction, but it's not enough, and it's not the only issue. I like the idea of e-readers and will go that route, but only when, and indeed
if, these concerns are resolved.
