While there are some good analogies in the post (like the XO and the netbook), I'm not sure if this post is as "good" as the "get a blog" comments people are leaving.
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But I wonder how exploratory they were in finding an answer since they both ended up with "let's put e-ink in their hands with 3g and long battery life".
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First of all, the long battery life comes as a function of the e-ink screen. It's not a built-in design feature, it's an advantage of the technology that takes no charge to retain content on the screen. Secondly, who really uses the 3G on their ereader, and for what purposes?
3G is a way for the companies to push books to the consumers and a way for the consumers to pull books on the go. It's like a glorified USB wire that can transfer books to your device from anywhere.
Another thing to consider is the "illegal" market for books. Apple (and other music players) did luck out with the plethora of freely available music. How many of you would have your current portable music player if you had to pay for every song on it?
E-readers have no where near that advantage. To Amazon and B&N it might as well be about pushing books to consumers rather than pushing the device itself. Creating a network of people who have readers means being able to sell ebooks to them.
What will be interesting (at least for me) to see is the following:
What happens if publishers don't "get it" like the music industry didn't "get it". Things like delaying ebook releases to months after the print releases.
Will there be an increase in the consumption of public domain and other freely available books (CC, etc)? Will people care about these? How will authors get people to care about these?
As one of the comments here mentions, the best things these devices can do is the disappear in your hands so that they give you want you wanted to do in the first place: read. And occasionally check definitions without that being too distracting.
I think the challenges for ebooks lie in getting content from publisher to the consumers. The technology is not the problem here (or at least I doubt it is). Your person who thinks that the Internet is Google, or that the "browser" is search doesn't really care about the tech. Concentrate on the "reader" part of "e-reader", those are the problems worth solving.
On another note: I hope we don't "Twitterize" e-reading. Meaning creating an unnecessary service that comes with its own set of problems.
Another thing to consider is the "illegal" market for books. Apple (and other music players) did luck out with the plethora of freely available music. How many of you would have your current portable music player if you had to pay for every song on it?
I have plenty of my own content, which would fit best on a device that goes beyond the capabilities and goals of current e-readers.
Something that can compete with the display qualities of paper, but bring with it the ability to run scripts, play sound and video media, create my own media, sketch, and interface with the global network through 3G or better -- this device would bring about a revolution in personal computing as big as the advent of the iPhone.
And the funny thing is, Alan Kay thought of this back in the late 60s!
The best way to fight piracy is to "be ahead". The use of e-readers could be very beneficial to publishers. The price of an e-book should be much lower as there is no printing costs, easier distribution, no secondhand market, always in stock, no out of print. Just like with music, the way we consume books are going to change and we're going to want more for less.
--- But I wonder how exploratory they were in finding an answer since they both ended up with "let's put e-ink in their hands with 3g and long battery life". ---
First of all, the long battery life comes as a function of the e-ink screen. It's not a built-in design feature, it's an advantage of the technology that takes no charge to retain content on the screen. Secondly, who really uses the 3G on their ereader, and for what purposes?
3G is a way for the companies to push books to the consumers and a way for the consumers to pull books on the go. It's like a glorified USB wire that can transfer books to your device from anywhere.
Another thing to consider is the "illegal" market for books. Apple (and other music players) did luck out with the plethora of freely available music. How many of you would have your current portable music player if you had to pay for every song on it?
E-readers have no where near that advantage. To Amazon and B&N it might as well be about pushing books to consumers rather than pushing the device itself. Creating a network of people who have readers means being able to sell ebooks to them.
What will be interesting (at least for me) to see is the following:
What happens if publishers don't "get it" like the music industry didn't "get it". Things like delaying ebook releases to months after the print releases.
Will there be an increase in the consumption of public domain and other freely available books (CC, etc)? Will people care about these? How will authors get people to care about these?
As one of the comments here mentions, the best things these devices can do is the disappear in your hands so that they give you want you wanted to do in the first place: read. And occasionally check definitions without that being too distracting.
I think the challenges for ebooks lie in getting content from publisher to the consumers. The technology is not the problem here (or at least I doubt it is). Your person who thinks that the Internet is Google, or that the "browser" is search doesn't really care about the tech. Concentrate on the "reader" part of "e-reader", those are the problems worth solving.
On another note: I hope we don't "Twitterize" e-reading. Meaning creating an unnecessary service that comes with its own set of problems.