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iPad outnumbers Kindle

kenmarable said:
I think the point isn't that e-Ink readers are dead. I doubt most people would think that. However, I think multi-function devices with low-end prices in the same range as the high-end dedicated eReaders obviously are outperforming the eReaders quite easily, which is the point of the article originally linked.

Obviously, you prefer e-Ink. Personally, I (and apparently many others) do not. You are fine with a dedicated reading device. For me (and apparently many others), I'd never pay that much for something that limited in functionality. I'm a serious reader, too, and have no trouble with eye strain on the iPad (as many others have said as well).

So there's room for both our opinions, and if nothing else, the e-Ink dedicated readers will probably be pushed to lower prices and/or expand functionality. So, if anything, as long as there's enough people like you who think Kindles/Nooks/etc. are superior for reading to keep the e-Ink market viable, I can see iPads and other tablets benefiting your experience indirectly.
Click to expand...

Nook - $150
iPad 16GB WiFi - $499

That's the facts.
 
PerfSeeker said:
Nook - $150
iPad 16GB WiFi - $499

That's the facts.
Click to expand...
Good. That does sound more reasonable (although I still prefer the iPad, myself).

The price issues I was referring to were high-end e-Ink reader pricing, so:

iPad 16GB WiFi - $499
Kindle DX (a month ago) - $489
Kindle DX (now) - $379

That's the facts, too.

From those facts, as well as the Nook being even lower priced than the low-end Kindle, I'd say the iPad is most likely a factor in driving prices down for these products. I don't see how your facts and my facts don't agree on this. (Obviously, there could be other explanations for the price drop, but seeing as how a $10 difference between the Kindle DX and the iPad was really hard to justify, I feel safe in my assuming it was at least a big factor.)

Maybe I wasn't clear (also, I hadn't been following Kindle pricing to hear about the price drop, I'm not interested in those products), but I see a healthy life for e-Ink dedicated readers *at that lower price*. When some were comparably priced to low-end iPads, I really didn't think they would stand a chance, and apparently Amazon thought so as well.

Personally, I see the Nook and low-end Kindle having much better survival chances than the (in my opinion) way over-priced Kindle DX. I'd be surprised to see it survive as a product without further price cuts or some serious whizbang new features.

However, a $150 Nook seems perfectly reasonable to me. It's in the same range as decent GPS systems, non-touch iPods, and mid-range digital cameras. They are all devices largely focused on a narrow set of features, and the $100 - $200 range for those sorts of dedicated devices seems pretty comfortable to consumers.

But $489 for something to read books on? When you can spend $10 more and get an iPad? Was e-Ink really worth *that much* considering all of the functionality you would trade away between an iPad and Kindle DX?
 
kenmarable said:
However, a $150 Nook seems perfectly reasonable to me. It's in the same range as decent GPS systems, non-touch iPods, and mid-range digital cameras. They are all devices largely focused on a narrow set of features, and the $100 - $200 range for those sorts of dedicated devices seems pretty comfortable to consumers.

But $489 for something to read books on? When you can spend $10 more and get an iPad? Was e-Ink really worth *that much* considering all of the functionality you would trade away between an iPad and Kindle DX?
Click to expand...

The Kindle DX is doing horrible, while the original Kindle and Nook are selling great. BTW, the Nook has WiFi for downloading books and even a primitive web browser. All accessible through an Android touch-screen interface at the bottom of the device.
 
kenmarable said:
Good. That does sound more reasonable (although I still prefer the iPad, myself).

The price issues I was referring to were high-end e-Ink reader pricing, so:

iPad 16GB WiFi - $499
Kindle DX (a month ago) - $489
Kindle DX (now) - $379

That's the facts, too.

From those facts, as well as the Nook being even lower priced than the low-end Kindle, I'd say the iPad is most likely a factor in driving prices down for these products. I don't see how your facts and my facts don't agree on this. (Obviously, there could be other explanations for the price drop, but seeing as how a $10 difference between the Kindle DX and the iPad was really hard to justify, I feel safe in my assuming it was at least a big factor.)

Maybe I wasn't clear (also, I hadn't been following Kindle pricing to hear about the price drop, I'm not interested in those products), but I see a healthy life for e-Ink dedicated readers *at that lower price*. When some were comparably priced to low-end iPads, I really didn't think they would stand a chance, and apparently Amazon thought so as well.

Personally, I see the Nook and low-end Kindle having much better survival chances than the (in my opinion) way over-priced Kindle DX. I'd be surprised to see it survive as a product without further price cuts or some serious whizbang new features.

However, a $150 Nook seems perfectly reasonable to me. It's in the same range as decent GPS systems, non-touch iPods, and mid-range digital cameras. They are all devices largely focused on a narrow set of features, and the $100 - $200 range for those sorts of dedicated devices seems pretty comfortable to consumers.

But $489 for something to read books on? When you can spend $10 more and get an iPad? Was e-Ink really worth *that much* considering all of the functionality you would trade away between an iPad and Kindle DX?
Click to expand...

Ever since the Kindle went "International" it's been the better ereader option because for $189 you get 3G pretty much anywhere. Admittedly, there's only so much you can do with it, but it's a far better option than WiFi only.
 
PerfSeeker said:
The Kindle DX is doing horrible, while the original Kindle and Nook are selling great.
Click to expand...
That was my gut feeling as to what would happen, but I'm far from an expert. Nice to know my gut and reality sometimes align. :cool:

PerfSeeker said:
BTW, the Nook has WiFi for downloading books and even a primitive web browser. All accessible through an Android touch-screen interface at the bottom of the device.
Click to expand...
*IF* I was looking for a dedicated eReader, then, I'd definitely go for a Nook. It seems like a definite improvement over the Kindle, and the price is good. Just my personal preference is to save up and go for something more robust, like the iPad. But that's me.

Also, in addition to reading for enjoyment, I'm in grad school and read a ton of journal articles (typically psychology or other science), so even a color display alone is a major bonus for charts and images. But, obviously, that pushes me out of the mainstream consumer population.
 
PerfSeeker said:
Obviously you have short attention span, as e-Readers are fantastic for just sitting down and reading novels without the eye strain. My B&N Nook rocks doing just that and it's MUCH lighter then the iPad.
Click to expand...

I of course still remember using my Kindles. The screens were good for reading and were obviously superior to iPad's for use in the sun. But I will say that I do plenty of reading on my iPad and I have not experienced the eye strain as I thought I would. No regrets here.
 
Jackintosh said:
Why wait for more books in iBooks?

Gutenberg Project has more than 33,000 free books that can be downloaded and read on the iPad using the free Stanza app for iPad.

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Click to expand...

I am sick of old books that I can get free from many sources, like iBooks or even by Googling. :(

Looks like using Kindle & Barnes and Noble apps is the only way to get newest ebooks :(
 
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