Recently Tami and Bre did a podcast discussing E-Readers. This got me thinking, which almost always leads to a blog post so here we are. Their opinion, if I may summarize, is that E-Readers are good in theory, the technology is cool. In practice however, they’re still likely to buy dead-tree books of titles they enjoy and DRM issues (as with all digital media these days) are a hassle. My thoughts are much the same. Allow me to elaborate:
A Story
My first, an so far only, experience with E-Readers was when I found the Kindle app for the iPhone. I was practically giddy. The Hubby and I had talked about the Kindle before, which basically came down to “I want one” and “I think they’re srupid.” I’m sure you can immagine the circular conversation. I promptly downloaded the app and bought my first Kindle Book, Twilight. That month I read all 4 of the Twilight books, 8 of the Dresden Files books, and another fantasy book. I spent $80 all told in a series of $5-15 (edited to reflect the more expensive new eBooks) purchases. After that month I decided my impulse control wasn’t strong enough to allow me to use the Kindle on a regular basis. I went back to dead-tree books.
I’m a Geek
After listening to the podcast I was trying to organize my thoughts into something cogent that I could write a comment about (I quickly realized that I needed to make a blog post!). A question floated to the top. Why do I want an E-Reader? I bounced that around for a while… Convience of carrying many books around in a small package… cheaper than new dead-tree books… free previews of books… portable web browsing… All that’s great but what it really came down to is that I’m a geek at heart. I love technology. I love bright, shiny, new things. I want the latest and greatest. Once I realized that it was just my inner geek I was able to more rationally evaluate the idea.
DRM
Love it or hate it, I think DRM is here to stay. I don’t have a problem with DRM, but I do have a problem with how much is charged for digital media. Paying for 1’s and 0’s has never set well with me. Looking at it objectively, $5 for a digital book seems ridiculous from a major publisher, there’s no paper, there’s no shipping, there’s almost no overhead for the ebook that’s not already going to be spent for the dead-tree book (indie publishers/authors I think it’s ok, for example Wil Wheaton charges $5 for digital copies of his books; it’s an issue of volume). I feel like I’m getting riped off.
Ok, back on topic, I was talking about DRM. I regretted almost immediately that I couldn’t share the books I bought in Kindle versions. For me, talking about a book with a friend is half the fun. I actually have a solution for this. What if you could “beam” your eBook to a friend and it would “delete” your copy as long as your friend has it. You could even put a time limit on the borrowed file (no more borrowed books lost forever). It would exist just like a dead-tree book. For every book paid for, only one copy exists and I can share it with anyone who has an E-Reader. Just like with a dead-tree book I could buy/sell/trade it as I saw fit. As with everything some will figure a way to thwart the system, but that’s nothing new.
Thin Ice
E-Readers are expensive. There’s no way around it. I can go to Wal-Mart and buy a laptop for less than a Kindle. E-Readers don’t really do anything else. Sure they have portable (and with the Kindle, free) web browsing, but I get that much better and on a better screen with my iPhone. I’m not going to drop my data package on my cell phone bill because I get an E-Reader. Some play MP3’s… meh, I’ve got an iPhone and an iPod for that.
I just can’t justify spending that kind of money on a uni-tasker who’s function I’m not even sure I like. That’s the bottome line for me.
Trivia
Guy: That thing is a damned hazard!
Girl: It’s just a toaster!
Guy: Well, insertion of bread into that so-called toaster produces no toast at all, merely warm bread! Inserting the bread twice produces charcoal. So, clearly, to make proper toast it requires one and a half insertions, which is something for which the apparatus doesn’t begin to allow! One assumes that when the General of Electric built it, he might have tried using it. One assumes the General might take pride in his creations instead of just foisting them on an unsuspecting public.
Girl: You know something? Nobody gives a rat’s ass that you have to push the toast down twice. You know why? Because everybody pushes their toast down twice!
Guy: Not where I come from.