Originally Posted by gentlefury

I think e-readers will still serve a need, as long as, as the OP said the price drops dramatically. If you could pick up an e-reader for $100 then it would be worth using it as a reader...if it's $400 and iPad is $500 it's kinda pointless.

That is my point, but I don't expect the eReader prices to drop, instead they will probably get added functionality like web surfing and email to try to help them compete.

Originally Posted by Sonny Burnett

Originally Posted by gentlefury

I think e-readers will still serve a need, as long as, as the OP said the price drops dramatically. If you could pick up an e-reader for $100 then it would be worth using it as a reader...if it's $400 and iPad is $500 it's kinda pointless.

That is my point, but I don't expect the eReader prices to drop, instead they will probably get added functionality like web surfing and email to try to help them compete.

But the question is, will people really be enticed by web surfing and email on a black and white screen when color is such a huge part of the internet experience...since it is much more a visual medium than words based.

I seriously doubt it.

I saw a nook yesterday and it seemed right out of the 80's with it's black and white web browser and the separate controls for the screen.

Originally Posted by gentlefury

But the question is, will people really be enticed by web surfing and email on a black and white screen when color is such a huge part of the internet experience...since it is much more a visual medium than words based.

I seriously doubt it.

I saw a nook yesterday and it seemed right out of the 80's with it's black and white web browser and the separate controls for the screen.

80's is pretty harsh, don't you think? Maybe a late 90's wanna be would be more like it. I am sure that they are going to start making these devices in color soon.

I have had a kindle for a long time and my ipad will not replace my kindle for a number of reasons. First the ipad is heavier than kindle and harder to hold while reading in bed. Second, i find reading on lcd more tiring on eyes. I do read sometimes on the ipad but continue to use kindle for most reading. With whispersync i can easily go back and forth from kindle to ipad and back to kindle. I also read alot outside and lcd bad in direct sunlight. I found the kindle and ipad to be complimentary rather than in competition. I also have a archos media player and the ipad almost replaces but not quite. For long vacation my archos will go with me as has 500 gb hard drive for movies.

Originally Posted by Neopad

I have had a kindle for a long time and my ipad will not replace my kindle for a number of reasons. First the ipad is heavier than kindle and harder to hold while reading in bed. Second, i find reading on lcd more tiring on eyes. I do read sometimes on the ipad but continue to use kindle for most reading. With whispersync i can easily go back and forth from kindle to ipad and back to kindle. I also read alot outside and lcd bad in direct sunlight. I found the kindle and ipad to be complimentary rather than in competition. I also have a archos media player and the ipad almost replaces but not quite. For long vacation my archos will go with me as has 500 gb hard drive for movies.

Don't you think that after a while people will get used to the larger heavier iPad form factor? I mean we are talking about only 1.5lbs. The point is the iPad is a full blown entertainment tablet that has eReader capabilities with and entry point of $495.00 why would anyone pay $395.00 for a plain old eReader?

Next question:
How many people actually read in bed and for those who do what age group are you in?

I'm in my 40's and I read in bed all the time.

iBooks is one of my favorite things on my iPad. I haven't read a book in over 10 years, but I decided to try out a book through iBooks, and I'm very happy with it. I've decided to finish the dark tower series (all that had been out at the time when I first read the books were 1-4) and of course I started from the very beginning, and I'm now over half way through the third book.

My wife embarrasses me though....she can read a 500 page book in just a few hours. So she's read considerably more books (upwards of around 20 books since getting our ipads) than I have so far. lol

While the Kindle has web access, it is clearly not designed for primary internet access. Using it as a web appliance is cumbersome and rather frustrating although possible in a pinch. It's a great e-reader and my wife and I have bought 170-some titles through the Kindle store since its introduction. I sincerely beleive that the iPad, with the Kindle app, will fully replace our Kindle: in fact, I've already sold one of the two we own and will probably offer the second for sale shortly after Friday.

However:

There's still a considerable difference in price between a $259. Kindle and a $499. iPad. Likely these costs will decline over time but unless the gap closes nearer to $100. or so I think there will be a continued niche for the Kindle and other e-readers

Originally Posted by Sonny Burnett

Originally Posted by Neopad

I have had a kindle for a long time and my ipad will not replace my kindle for a number of reasons. First the ipad is heavier than kindle and harder to hold while reading in bed. Second, i find reading on lcd more tiring on eyes. I do read sometimes on the ipad but continue to use kindle for most reading. With whispersync i can easily go back and forth from kindle to ipad and back to kindle. I also read alot outside and lcd bad in direct sunlight. I found the kindle and ipad to be complimentary rather than in competition. I also have a archos media player and the ipad almost replaces but not quite. For long vacation my archos will go with me as has 500 gb hard drive for movies.

Don't you think that after a while people will get used to the larger heavier iPad form factor? I mean we are talking about only 1.5lbs. The point is the iPad is a full blown entertainment tablet that has eReader capabilities with and entry point of $495.00 why would anyone pay $395.00 for a plain old eReader?

Next question:
How many people actually read in bed and for those who do what age group are you in?

I really don't think I'd bring an iPad to an appointment where I have a lot of reading time. It's too big. I really prefer my Sony for that because it fits in a pocket. For this there are devices that would be a better choice. The Bookeen Opus comes to mind. At 8 ounces and 250 dollars, it can't be beaten in dangerous tasks.

But for reading at home? iPad's the best.

Eink readers have begun stagnation when the present form factor dictated the direction marketing has taken. Some utterings I've seen in the past are the ones I would have chosen instead of this one. Mainly a rollable or foldable cheap polyethylene screen. But that would have signified less revenue for manufacturers of course. So that's why this PDA type shape was taken for readers. I will still use mine.

BTW You can't judge the impact of the iPad by this forum's public. We're all fans. But if you go to a reading forum that's not "paper driven", you might see that the iPad's inroad is not welcome and sometimes taken pretty lightly as in "insignificant".

Personnally, I'll use iPad, ebook readers and paper indicriminately, as long as they bring me a satisfactory reading experience...

I read in bed every night and that is the weakness of e-ink for me. It is so annoying trying to get light on the darn thing (note that I switched from reading on a PDA)! Sony tried to make a version of their reader that included side lighting but it got paned for not having clear enough text. I will keep my Sony Reader in case iPad at the beach (in the shade of an umbrella) does not work out but otherwise I'm all in for iPad reading.

-Greg