Poor bookstores. As fewer people read books, those who do are getting lured by e-book readers that bypass bookstores for the majority of book purchases. Amazon's Kindle, now upgraded to Kindle 2, gets the biggest blame because it has the biggest market share. It also has a hefty hardware profit margin according to PCWorld's article “Amazon's $359 Kindle 2 Costs $185.49 to Build.”And you thought margins on technology hardware products were non-existent.
I'm not interested in the e-reader versus paper books arguments on readability, sensory advantages, or convenience. Those arguments have gone on for years already and will continue to go on many more years.
I'm more interested in what e-books are not doing. Publishers are not harnessing the power of their e-book readers, Kindle 2 or whatever, to enhance the reading experience in ways books can't touch.
Let's say you're reading a mystery novel and a character returns after three chapters of being elsewhere. Why can't you search for the character's name and find out when he or she first appeared? Why can't you hit the “help” button and see the paragraph introducing that character? Why can't you search for two characters and immediately go back to scenes they were in together?
Technical books and manuals should be e-book no-brainers, but I don't think they're taking advantages of the technology. Why wouldn't you want a car repair manual e-book that uses the Kindle 2's text to voice to read sections? Sure, the voice is lousy compared to audiobooks, but it beats getting grease all over your Kindle trying to find the diagram showing how to replace your water pump. Or cookbooks, or plumbing manuals, or sales manuals, or travel books, or your guide to making it through DisneyWorld without waiting in line? Those books should be e-books.
E-book publishers and e-book reader manufacturers would be far better served to think about providing bulky yet valuable information in a more convenient format. Now they're trying to replace a $6.99 paperback with a $359 gadget. No thanks. When I leave my book on an airplane by accident, I want to lose $6.99, not $359.
Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world
jfruh
Apple syncing patent can't come soon enough
pasmith
New Twitter features borrow from 3rd party clients
Esther Schindler
Open Source Changes the Software Acquisition Process
mikelgan
How to set up continuous podcast play on the new iTunes
David Strom
Five important Windows 7 mobility features
sjvn
Guard your Wi-Fi for your own sake
Sandra Henry-Stocker
Grepping on Whole Words
Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News
Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
- mburton325
Join the conversation here
Quick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.
Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.
is it technology in general that you have the problem with?
Just as the 8-track destroyed the record, the cassette tape destroyed the 8-track, the CD destroyed the cassette tape, the MP3 destroyed the CD. Same with the kindle in relation to paper books. Technology is always evolving and being bitter about it and complaining only will make yourself look foolish and outdated.“Amazon's $359 Kindle 2 Costs $185.49 to Build.”
How would anyone do business if they sold their product for exactly how much it cost to produce? In that case, maybe all designer jeans should be sold for $23 instead of $200+.
Besides, with the majority of titles being under $9.99 (in many cases free), the kindle pays for itself in the long run.
All I know is that I enjoy my kindle and enjoy reading on it. I can now carry around my whole library with me in my laptop case. I now don't have to worry about my lack of room at home to store books. I can look up the definition of a difficult word within 2 seconds. I can purchase a new title wherever I may be... On the train, in the park, on the beach. Majority of bestsellers and new releases are no more than $9.99. Free 3G wireless data really knocks this one out the the ballpark. I am also doing my part on saving paper resources.