November 19, 2007 4:00 AM PST
Will e-books ever be a best seller?
Last modified: November 19, 2007 6:53 AM PST
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Why, then, do Amazon.com and Sony think they need to replace traditional books with electronic readers?
On Monday, Amazon unveiled the Kindle, a $399 handheld device that can download digital books, newspapers, and magazines from the Internet. Like the name suggests, Kindle is Amazon's way of burning down the traditional paperback book business.
Just last month, Sony launched an upgraded version of its Sony Reader.
Sony and Amazon apparently think the public finally is ready to trade its paperbacks in for more computer screens, even though various attempts to do this have largely failed for a decade.
The Wall Street Journal quoted an executive from Rosetta Books last week who estimated that e-book sales range between $15 million and $25 million annually. That would be a tiny portion of the $25 billion in revenues the publishing industry generated last year.
So what tea leaves are these companies reading to convince them that consumers are finally ready to go digital with their books?
These electronic reading devices are expensive. There are always questions of durability and portability with something that's too bulky to fit in a pocket. And it's not clear many people are clamoring to spend that kind of money on an electronic reading device when they can basically do the same thing on a multipurpose device like Apple's iPhone at nearly the same price.
"Sony's Reader has been a tough sell at $300," said Stephen Baker, an analyst with NPD. "The early adopters will be willing to pay a premium, but the mass market won't be ready until the price comes down--and it will. Amazon is probably not expecting to sell a zillion units of their reader at $399.
"At this stage, their intent is to try and teach the market and publishers about what the device can do," Baker added. "Remember, it took the (digital-music crowd) a while to find a business model."
There is no question that e-readers have improved. They are lighter than in the past, easier to read, and at least in the case of Amazon's Kindle, don't have to be connected to a PC to download a book.
The Kindle will hook up to the Web via a Sprint EVDO connection. That means owners can buy and download books to the Kindle wherever they can connect to the Web. That's far more convenient than being tethered to a PC.
Kindle comes with a 6-inch, 800x600 display--which uses technology from E Ink--to make it easy on the eyes. The company, which provides the same technology for the Sony Reader, fills its displays with small capsules containing thousands of microscopic black-and-white particles made out of the same materials as ink and paper.
Because of this, the screens reflect light in the same way as a book page. Instead of staring into a flashlight, which is what reading most backlit computer screens is like, E Ink is more like reading paper and ink than any screen technology developed so far, said E Ink's CEO Russ Wilcox. He declined to discuss the Kindle ahead of Monday's announcement.
"You can see the words from all angles," Wilcox said. "There's no backlight and most of the time the reader sees the page while the power is off. This allows the user to read for hours without draining the battery."
The other big selling point, of course, is weight. Carrying around an e-reader is easier on the spine than lugging around a bunch of books. The Kindle can hold a small library but weighs just 10.3 ounces--a little more than a half-pound. For those concerned about the environment, e-readers will obviously save a lot of trees and create less waste.
On the other hand, when was the last time a John Grisham novel ran out of battery power? E-readers offer a certain amount of convenience, but consumers will have to see clear advantages if they're going to make the shift.
In short, there's still plenty of room for improvement. In a review of the Sony Reader, CNET Reviews, lamented a slight delay in turning pages on the device, sluggish controls, and no support for audio books in the Audible format. But perhaps the biggest knock on most e-readers that have come before Kindle was a limited selection of books that could be used with the device.
In Sony's case, the company compounded the issue by using a proprietary technology for its book files that isn't compatible with other devices.
And again, there's the price. The readers cost about the same as a good smartphone, and Sony's e-books often cost the same as a regular book. "If the digital version of the book costs the same as hard copy of the books, what's the motivation?" asked Richard Shim, an analyst with IDC.
Another way that Amazon can succeed is to display newspaper and magazine publications in ways that more closely resemble the print versions. One of Kindle's features will be the ability to download content from between 50 to 100 newspapers, magazine and other business publications, including The New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
Amazon also has to hope that Apple doesn't show up. Providing the iPhone with e-reading abilities (in addition to the obvious point that you can already read anything on the Web with the device) would be simple, said NPD's Baker.
"I don't think Apple would get in now," Baker said. "Apple tends not to jump in during version one of a product's development. They prefer to wait until a business model and hardware specs are a little more developed."
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- Does not need batteries, but needs an external light source since there is no backlighting; this is no disadvantage as newer readers focuse on good contrast and use of reflected light anyway
- Once you have read it, you can sell it second-hand; e-books generally locked to your name and/or device
- And even get it cheap by buying second-hand in the first place
- Do not need to buy books from vendor A if I have reader B, unlike the electronic readers with their prorietary formats
Who needed e-books again?
for e-books, why anyone would by a seperate reading device for
them is beyond me. Apple could see them on iTunes like everything
else they have. It will launch e-books just like they launched selling
digital music. Here's hoping Steve Jobs sees the light.
commercial reality.
The current e-books are more like PDA's than books, and most
people don't want yet another electronic gadget to carry around.
IMO, this will only appeal to geeks and early adopters.
In the meantime, I prefer to spend my $400 on 60 - 70 books -
most, I'm sure they'll be glad to hear, from Amazon.
Price: $100 max.
Display: E-Ink or one the other similiar techs being developed.
Support Multiple non-proprietary formats: pdf etc.
Unbound to a particular distribution channel(I can hear Amazon groaning already). We can buy a book from any book store. Stop trying to take this away for e-books.
Support for SD and other standard memory expansion.
If not DRM-Free than at least a system that can allow for multiple devices for a single purchase.(Most gadget heads have several devices and would like to have the possiblity to access everything they have purchased on ALL their devices.)
I really believe the manufacturers need to market these to schools, police stations (cops have to carry around all the city/state codes in their bags), and other areas where people have to carry around multiple books throughout the day. That's a huge benefit to these types of people and it makes a huge impact on their daily lives. Once these people start using them regularly, they will start finding their way into the mass market.
Just my 2 cents.
Schools might be early adopters. The cost of the device and the loading all the books might be less than buying hardcover textbooks for all the students. This only works if there is the ability to add annotations.
Would be nicer to have a tablet form , but what I really want is that the it be waterproof so I can read in the bathtub .
Electronic reading has the great advantage of searchability so you can remind yourself where some character was introduced .
As a physicist I would like to have a mixture of physics and maths books readily available in a reader - the real thing, not popularizations - so I can consult them quickly without having to hunt down the volume in the bookcase or drag it about in my briefcase. But are any substantial number of these available? Remember there have to be some number, my guess is in the range of 5-10, for the reader to be attractive. My previous investigations have consistently come up with xero available of the title I consult frequently - daily to weekly.
The device would pay for itself in one year of use by school children and think how many trees would be saved not to mention the backs of those poor little kids that have to carry around those backpacks of books.
Who would bother scanning 300 to 400 pages of a book? Geek readers of science fiction, for one.
Let's not underestimate the spare time and drive of a) geeks, b) young people, and c) young people who happen to be geeks. (Especially those committed to the idea that "Information wants to be free.")
There's also, quite frankly, the allure of piracy and breaking copyright laws.
read, there exists a wide assortment of options, that are far
more useful than a device dedicated to that task.
For those that enjoy actual books, well, no market there really.
If they were smart, they would device delivery method that can
take advantage of the existing handhelds, phones, laptops,
personal computers, etc. Of course, this would have to be
coupled with decent 2-3 pronged marketing approach to
hobbyists, education, and solutions for everyday works. This
would have to be in the addition to "just the sake for reading a
book". Also, devising the solution to take full advantage of the
text to speech capabilities built into current operating systems
would not be a bad thought.
Whenever I mention ebooks I always end up showing how easy to view they are because they can't believe it at first.
I have used my PDA on Trains and Planes and waiting at the Dr.s office. And can listen to podcasts and usdio books, all for less than the cost of Sony's or Amazon's, plus I can buy (or rent) from whatever source I wish to purchase from - fictionwise or ereader or booksonboard or itunes or.... I have books, periodicals, podcasts, manuals, newspapers and more on my flash cards right next to my music and always with me. I cannot believe why this easy to use concept hasn't caught on more. I can listen to music while I read or finish a memo. I just can't read and write at the same time.
Maybe the problem is fewer people actually read, period. I still love the feel of a first edition hardcover in my hands, but after that - Ebooks!
There is a market for e-books, but it will probably remain limited for a very long time.
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by whmurray
November 19, 2007 2:58 PM PST
- I read a book a week and have not bought but one or two in paper in two years. Even best sellers are now available as e-books on a timely basis. I use my Treo 650. Not interested in a separate device.
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