Why e-books are bound to fail

John Scott · 07-04-2007, 08:14 PM

exponent · 07-04-2007, 08:46 PM

There are some pretty valid points, especially on the price consideration. One of the problems is that Ebooks would be great for schools (especially college) however, the problem with college is that there is no way to sell your ebook back after you're done with it.

Bluecircle · 07-05-2007, 12:04 AM

Yes, I fully agree and never could really see ebooks taking off.

bobchrist · 07-05-2007, 09:39 AM

ebook actually fail to attract the buyer personally since there are many good alternatives are there.

Estreetloans · 07-05-2007, 09:43 AM

I agree. I dont think ebooks are very effective. Maybe sometime down the road in the future. They are not as "easy" to use as they claim, sometimes sticking to more traditional methods is easier.

stewart · 07-05-2007, 02:11 PM

I attended Dakota State University for a bit up in South Dakota. One thing that really drew me to their school was their laptop program. Well some of their material is strictly on the computer, it was nice. It would be very nice if one day all text books could be in some sort of digital format.
The problem with digital text books if anything is piracy, if my friend just bought the book for a class i have next semester, why not just take the digital copy from him and never buy the book? Thats why it won't happen. >.<

At least until they come up with a better method of distribution.

;D

GuyFromChicago · 07-05-2007, 02:20 PM

Haven't even read the article but I will say this - until there's a reader that's on par with say, what the iPod did for music, e-books won't be as popular as their paper counterparts.

Reading an e-book...even a laptop...is a pain. Give me a reader that feels and flows like a book and I'll be sold.

jesse1 · 07-08-2007, 01:33 PM

I think there will be a popularity for some type of ePaper product that makes reading digital content offline much easier.

I think it will have to be really good, so that you can download a 100 page pdf to a piece of paper.

Once this technology gets really good, I think there actually may be a big market for ebooks, but I agree it may not catch on, or is still 5 to 10 years off.

UBF · 07-08-2007, 03:25 PM

Well I actually like reading ebooks. Especially if it has video clips or hyperlinks that I need to check out. Copying a hyperlink from a normal text book would be a pain.

But I do agree that better readers are still needed.

Fruit & Veg · 07-09-2007, 04:30 AM

I think ebooks are pretty rubbish especially if you have to buy one. People normally end up printing it out anyway.

However, as pointed out above, I think this is to do with the fact that reading on the laptop or PC is a pain, plus you are somewhat restrcited, even with a laptop. The Sony Reader - http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/itpd/reader/ - looks pretty good though.

Sharing is another issue. I still buy CD's so I can share them plus if my computer crashes and my backup dies and my webspace is destroyed all on one terrible day, I still have my music. Having CD's sitting on your shelf is nice. Same with books. Having one little Reader/iPod device takes that materialistic joy away

cabdirazzaq · 07-09-2007, 05:08 AM

I don't consider it to be a "pain" to read it of a screen. I mean think about it, if you are reading it from your computer than you can
1) Find things much easier than flipping pages, Ctrl+F rocks!
2) You can quickly use Google or Wikipedia to find out about some concept you haven't heard of before.
3) If you don't know a word, you can easily do a define:"keyword" command on Google to quickly find out instead of wondering "what the... does he mean?"
4) You can use a text to speech program to hear the e-book.

So many opportunities, I love reading stuff from a screen!

tdgac · 07-09-2007, 09:07 PM

A pretty simplistic article - but what the heck John got me to read it lol - but I, too, vote for the traditional book.

Real, solid, turn the page with my own fingers books.

I will, when forced, read an ebook online. I've even tried printing them out, which is akin to reading your homework over before turning it in. White stock printing paper just ain't the same...

The feel and quality of reading a good book will never, ever be replaced by the computer (fast forward 200 years and here's me eating my words LOL!).

I guess the audio book is catching on, but somehow I'm not crazy about those either. The narrator just never strikes the right tone or note or emphasis. Not the same as doing it yourself and imagining the different "voices" as you make them up in your own head reading a real book.

It's just plain tiresome to read too much for too long online. Give me boxes, bullets, headlines, and a bit of copy - that I can and will read. But, I'll read my "Harry Potter," "Gone With the Wind," and "Lord of the Rings" at my own pace and in my favorite comfy chair, thank you very much

Deejay Dan · 07-09-2007, 09:19 PM

I agree with the article. I can barely stand to sit and my computer and read an ebook PDF. I couldn't imagine trying to read on one of those little screens. :eek:

Maybe the key is to make a device about the size of a hardcover text book but very thin and have switches with tactile feedback for page turning. That would help bridge the cap from paper book to ebooks.

Quilana · 07-10-2007, 10:37 PM

I guess it works for some, and doesn't work for the many others. It's all about marketing at the end of the day, isn't it? Some people just aren't cut out to be marketers.

tdgac · 07-10-2007, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quilana

I guess it works for some, and doesn't work for the many others. It's all about marketing at the end of the day, isn't it? Some people just aren't cut out to be marketers.

Not at all sure what that has to do with the price of tea in china??

And...

Deejay, I like your idea! And you watch, someday someone will do exactly that and we can come in here and say you thought of it first

Better jump on it and get it patented!

Quilana · 07-10-2007, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdgac

Not at all sure what that has to do with the price of tea in china??

Not at all sure what that comment has to do with my reply!

I agree that from a consumer POV it's tiring (and crazy to PAY for it!) to read off a screen. My brother always tells me to switch the bg to black and font to white so it's easier. I much prefer to curl up with a physical book.

But from the moneymaker's POV (

) I know a couple of people who have made quite a nice sum of money from selling eBooks.

There's always someone out there with money to spend!

mothproof · 07-13-2007, 05:34 AM

i still prefer hunting for second-hand books, and the plain old action of flipping their crumbly pages, plus their potpourri smell.

no ebook can ever give me that.

Obelia · 07-15-2007, 11:27 AM

I hate ebooks, but for me it's the backlighting you get on a screen that puts me off. The way the screen is lit created eyestrain, and that's the biggest problem for me. There's also the fact that you can't take it in the bath with you.

I'm in two minds about the idea of possessing books: my house is already full of them, and there's a limit to the amount of stuff I want around the place. But books are at least a somewhat durable medium, whereas a technical glitch can wipe out all your ebooks unless you have them backed up.

Moxie · 07-16-2007, 02:43 PM

I personally like ebooks, think they're great, and always have them with me. But, I can see why most people don't.

Paper books will always stick around. I mean, we still have live music as well as recorded - people want their things in different formats

tpr · 07-16-2007, 04:41 PM

And whats the real difference between reading an e-book or reading someone's blog or even these threads...
we sit here and read them!
I agree with you cabdirazzaq.
Having access to all the additional resources on our lappy is great. I often come across words I have no idea what they mean so instead of pretending I understand I can just look up the thesaurus or online dictionary.