Dedicated eReaders | Hacker News Reader

Dedicated eReaders

6 pointsJacobIrwin15 comments

I just browsed into BarnesandNoble.com (for possibly the first time in my life). 1/3 of the homepage is covered with an ad for their "nook color" (a dedicated eReader). Fellow YCnews readers, this may be super obvious to you already...

But, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THESE COMPANIES DOING?.. spending the resources on developing electronics dedicated to reading books. Same applies to Amazon with the Kindle. Okay, I suppose one could argue (at least in B&N' case) that they are appealing to their specific audience with modern tech. Nevertheless, why would a consumer spend $250+ on a device just to read books? B&N.com, if they really care about their costumers, should put an ad up that says: “We do not recommend spending $250 on a dedicated eReader.”

Sure Apple (i.e. iPad/iPad2) offers an eReader... but it's just one of 65,000+ apps.

Let’s organize a group and barge into B&N’s next board meeting, explain in plain English where our planet is heading with tech, and help them diversify/liquidate+re-invest in a better model.

Sorry (but not really); I felt the need to vent.

Because many people prefer reading on an eBook reader over a tablet:

- Cheaper ($149 or $249 compared to $499)

- Easier to read (eInk is a lot easier on the eye when reading for long periods than a backlit display)

- Not confusing (Granted, an iPad is pretty easy to figure out, but for an average consumer a device that does one thing is generally easier to grasp)

- Better battery life (Nook claims 10 days, iPad claims 10 hours)

The two technologies may converge in the future, but for now, the dedicated eBook Reader still has its place.

hanlin quotes their battery life in page-turns, makes more sense than days. something like 5000, and battery is Nokia BL-5C, replacable anywhere for a few shekels

weight too, i still cant get over how heavy an iPad feels, after using a 200 gram ereader

The Kindle is also a lot lighter and fits in my coat pocket.

The eInk is a critical factor here. I've talked to a few people who have read books on the iPad and Kindle, and they've all said it was much nicer to be reading for long periods of time on the Kindle.

A dedicated eReader has less pressure to keep upgrading the components. The current kindle doesn't need much improvement; the CPU is adequate, RAM is adequate, flash storage is adequate. The screen could use a little bit of improvement in contrast, # of gray shades, and refresh speed.

The point being, it's pretty close to stabilizing, at which point Amazon can just keep dropping the price as components get cheaper. Then Amazon can sell more and more of them, and sell more and more Amazon ebooks. If the Kindle's cost falls enough, Amazon can give them away.

By contrast, general-purpose tablets are going to be under constant pressure to keep upgrading the components, with faster CPUs, more RAM, better color screens, new wireless tech, better GPUs, more storage, so that users can use the latest software and run the latest apps. That'll help keep the prices relatively high.

If you think of dedicated eReaders, or at least the Kindle, as being like a simple 4-function calculator, it might be clearer. Calculators like that used to be expensive way back when. Now they're cheap enough to give away free with magazine subscriptions. There's little point in upgrading the hardware, so they just get cheaper and cheaper.

> WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THESE COMPANIES DOING?

At least in the Kindle's case: selling a hell of a lot of them, and a hell of a lot of books.

Ever since I got a Kindle, I don't really use my iPad anymore.

My Kindle cost ($139) and weighed a fraction of what my iPad did. I can securely carry my kindle in the pocket of my cargo pants or my jacket without weighing me down.

It's easy on my eyes. A LOT easier. And I can read it outside with sunglasses on.

I read & download books and PDFs like mad.

I use klip.me (http://klip.me) & Instapaper (http://instapaper.com) to shoot every interesting web article to my Kindle automatically.

I shoot work-related documents to the Kindle via Whispernet for free.

I keep all my tech books on it. I find the resolution completely fine for tech books, btw. I was worried about this after reading Kindle DX reviews. I am working through Big Nerd Ranch's latest iOS programming book, which is full of illustrations.

I keep cheatsheets galore on it (packetlife, wireshark, vim, ipv6, etc)

And what I've come to find out, is that I largely use my iPad to read stuff. I don't play games. I watch movies, but I can just use my MBP for that.

In most cases, I find the Kindle handles things better, for a fraction of the cost. I can browse Google Reader on my iPhone, or my MBP. I've already got two expensive devices to handle the Kindle/iPad gap. But your YMMV.

One thing I have noticed about ereaders (and owners of ereaders) is their willingness to purchase books. I have friends who before buying a nook or a kindle would read one or two medium sized books a year. Revenue for Amazon/B&N ~ $20 ($60 if they are both new release hardbacks). With the ereader the same person will have a "stack" of 13 to 14 books to read in their ereader. Revenue for Amazon ~ $130. This is not including the cost of ereader, but we can just skip that. Now, ereaders certainly make reader more accessible (you don't have to carry around a book with you), but changing mediums is not going to increase the amount you read by 700%.

Please don't misunderstand me on this, I actually really like ereaders. I think if you are a person that used to go on vacation with four heavy books in your luggage then they are great. I also really like a lot of the tech involved. The kindle's battery life is simply amazing.

The point is that I feel like the barrier to buying a book has been dramatically reduced. IMHO, this is why the bookstores are supporting and promoting them. With a physical book, you have to order it from the site or go to the store. You also have a physical book which can feel like 700 pages of procrastination staring you back in the face everyday that you don't read. Sure the bookworms out there really want you to like books and to actually read more, but bookstores are a business, and their business is _selling_ books.

iPad is unreadable outdoors in daytime. glass surface acting as a mirror and display not being transflective. also it is way overpowered to display text. so it's battery is depleted after 12 hours instead of a few months.

i'd love a transflective ipad with image-persistence on powerdown. notionink seems to offer this i think?

Good contradictive viewpoints. I think everyone has a good argument. @jonhendry made a strong case. Even I can agree that the quality (performance & display) for reading books on dedicated eReaders is much better than iPads'.

I guess I'm just looking at this from an investment standpoint. If iPad offers 50%=.5 of the eReader quality against Kindle, Nook, etc. then the iPad (for eReading) cost equates to (~$5001/65,000)(.5) = .038 cents.

... There is room to argue that nobody is going to download 65,000 apps (and memory won't even allow for it). But still, the cost/benefit is substantially in favor of an all-inclusive tablet.

*That is, if you like to use gadgets for multiple apps.

I currently have a Kindle DX graphite, it means I need to take one thing with me, I don't need to take lots of paper books and research papers with me everywhere, I can read it in direct sunlight, unlike a tablet or laptop and I can read if for hours without eyestrain, and the 3G means I can keep up with HN or other websites without the need for a seperate device, in short I'm glad I have it. Perhaps for someone who only reads occasionally it is overkill, but for those of us who are always consuming new information it is definately a useful tool.

I actually hope BN is able to make money with the Nook, especially with the Color Nook, it's a good device.

Maybe BN should introduce a Color Nook Pad, with slightly better hardware, and enter into the Android tablet market. They already have a large retail network. There is a big opening for tablets priced under $500.

The color nook is basically an Android tablet already. You just need to root it and you're all set.

It is but BN should improve the specs little bit and market/sell it like a tablet.

Pushing ink stained scraps of dead trees is not as sexy as being in high tech like Apple.

Venting about eReaders, the ones I've tried out are all so slow and clunky. Unless you don't need a tablet, like ever, you're better off spending the $250 on eBooks to read on your computer or tablet.

honestly,the benefits are plentiful, I own one and the value proposition for me is clear - wide choice of books in tiny package, battery life unheard of and out of reach for years to come for ipad-alikes, minimum of distraction. Overall, the post is a troll magnet.

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