[T.K.]

I'm not sure if anyone has seen this, but the headline grabbed my attention. I'll link to the video interview below.

Just a note - it's not all gloom and doom, but evidently people are switching to tablets and smart phones instead of ereaders to read ebooks on.

They also feature a nice little bar graph of ereader sales for the past couple of years as well as predicted sales for the future.

http://on.aol.com/video/the-death-of-the-e-reader-517630644?icid=video_related_0

 

[heavycat]

This is three minutes of what we in the computer industry (mainly programmers) refer to as FUD. Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.

It's some guy's opinion. He lost all credibility with "The Kindle Fires of the world"

The Amazon Kindle is not, I repeat IS NOT a competitor to the iPad. It is a simple device designed to do one thing, which it does better than any other device in the world: display books and make them easy to read.

 

[Quiss]

I'm not sure if it matters, anyway.
When it comes to books, the medium is not the message. When people want to read, they will read. I can't see if it matters if they use a reader or whatever the next newest technology is.  And absolutely technology for reading apps is going to change as fast as smart phones are.

I like my reader precisely BECAUSE that's all it does. It's tiny, it's light, it's easy on the eyes. I can whip it out standing in line somewhere and hold it with two fingers. Can't see me doing that with a tablet.

 

[JRTomlin]

I'm not sure if anyone has seen this, but the headline grabbed my attention. I'll link to the video interview below.

Just a note - it's not all gloom and doom, but evidently people are switching to tablets and smart phones instead of ereaders to read ebooks on.

They also feature a nice little bar graph of ereader sales for the past couple of years as well as predicted sales for the future.

http://on.aol.com/video/the-death-of-the-e-reader-517630644?icid=video_related_0

I suspect they're misinterpreting the data. Are people who already own e-readers ceasing to use them? I rather doubt it. But e-readers appeal to heavy readers who don't like reading on a tablet which is backlit, too heavy and awkward, not to mention has too short a battery life. I know a lot and in not a single case would that be true. But most of us already have them and only occasionally upgrade, so naturally e-reader sales slip. Amazon wasn't stupid in coming out with the Fire.

For the majority of people who only read a few books a year, a tablet has more appeal. That doesn't mean e-readers are "dying".

ETA: In other words, you'll pry my e-reader from my cold, dead hands.

 

[vlmain]

I have always loved to read, but for the last several years, I rarely sat down to read a book because of eye strain. Glasses weren't cutting it, and reading on a computer was even worse because of the back lighting. My daughter gave me a Kindle last year for my birthday, and I am back to reading every day. I have read more books in the last two months than I have in the previous five years!

I love that I can adjust the font size (brilliant!), and more importantly, no back lighting! I love that it fits in my purse so I can take it to the doctor's office and read while I wait, and wait, and wait. I love that I can easily hold it above water while I relax in a nice hot bath.

A tablet could never take the place of my Kindle, unless they come up with one with no back lighting that will fit in my purse. And I know there must be a lot of other people out there like me.

 

[J.R. Thomson]

Personally I use the Kindle app on my android tablet much more than my Kindle... 

 

[T.K.]

"I suspect they're misinterpreting the data. Are people who already own e-readers ceasing to use them? I rather doubt it.  "

This is what I think, too.

I use my phone for just about everything, but not to read books on - too awkward.

I have a tablet, too, but not for reading - it's too distracting.

I use my Kindle for reading - it's just right.

Serious readers will stick to what they like and what works for them. 

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

Even if this was true, the death of the e-reader doesn't mean the death of e-books. And we are writers. We don't make the media, we make the content. Content will remain necessary, whatever the medium.