I've dreamed of ebooks since ST:TNG datapads graced my TV. The thought of crossing a campus with nothing more than a sachel instead of a heavy bookbag got my imagination going. Anyway, when the Kindle came out, I knew it was a dead market from the start due to the lack of control the consumer has on the end product (buying the book gets you a digital copy and a 'license' to read it). You pay a full price regardless on the title. There is no 'used market' for the titles (the owner selling their copy to someone else on the open market). Sony seems to be competing for their marketshare by buddying up with Google and offering free ebooks of older titles. I dare amazon to go that far, but they never will. Now Amazon is selling a large kindle for textbooks just so they can take the torch on screwing the students. After all, why not screw them monetarily for overpriced books for a lesser cost than the actual textbook right? So yeah, people like me will continue going to the local used bookstore and return home with a box filled with used books at a fraction of the new price. Why? Because I will take advantage of a bargain when I see it. Kindle a bargain? NO. Until it all changes, I'll keep the old tech.
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Re: Because we're idiots...
Totally agreed.
I've dreamed of ebooks since ST:TNG datapads graced my TV. The thought of crossing a campus with nothing more than a sachel instead of a heavy bookbag got my imagination going. Anyway, when the Kindle came out, I knew it was a dead market from the start due to the lack of control the consumer has on the end product (buying the book gets you a digital copy and a 'license' to read it). You pay a full price regardless on the title. There is no 'used market' for the titles (the owner selling their copy to someone else on the open market). Sony seems to be competing for their marketshare by buddying up with Google and offering free ebooks of older titles. I dare amazon to go that far, but they never will. Now Amazon is selling a large kindle for textbooks just so they can take the torch on screwing the students. After all, why not screw them monetarily for overpriced books for a lesser cost than the actual textbook right? So yeah, people like me will continue going to the local used bookstore and return home with a box filled with used books at a fraction of the new price. Why? Because I will take advantage of a bargain when I see it. Kindle a bargain? NO. Until it all changes, I'll keep the old tech.