5 ms·
Interesting that in the old linked discussion from 2013, someone claims that publishers can't complain, because they had a record year financially. I wonder how
by Mediterraneo10 7y ago
Interesting that in the old linked discussion from 2013, someone claims that publishers can't complain, because they had a record year financially. I wonder how well they are doing now.
My gut feeling is that publishers these days face problems not from privacy so much as from 1) the sheer glut of content, making it hard to stand out, and 2) shortening attention spans and people preferring to read snackable content on their phones instead of longform books.
When Kindles appeared, they seemed to augur a golden age for reading (and sure, you could load them up with pirated ebooks). Nowadays I am conscious at the beach or on public transport of usually being the only person with a Kindle while everyone else around me is looking at their phones, and it would be hard to believe any significant number have an EPUB reader open on those phones to read actual books.
- Simon_says 7y agoI bought one of the first Kindles and loaded it up with a hundred DRM-liberated ebooks and read it avidly. Since then, phones have gotten bigger screens with higher pixel density and longer battery life, and my Kindle now sits is a drawer unused. The best ebook reader is the one you have on you.
- Mediterraneo10 7y agoHigher battery life? The Kindle battery lasts much longer than a phone with the backlight off and in airplane mode. But again, even if a phone could be used as an ereader, my point is that for most people it is likely not. Even for bibliophiles, they might not get so much reading done on a phone due to the distractions that phones bring.
- falcolas 7y agoThese days, so long as the battery lasts all day (it does, using it as an ebook reader), that sufficient for a phone. Longer is better, but I always have a charger on me, a spare battery for emergencies when traveling, and a charging pad next to my bed at home. > they might not get so much reading done on a phone due to the distractions that phones bring. Short of notifications, there are no distractions on my phone when reading a book. No clock, no battery indicator, no nothing. If I really want to read, I can just go into DND mode, and even notifications have gone away.
- Simon_says 7y agoI meant battery life is now longer on phones than it used to be on phones, assuming you're using it as an ebook reader, which means no radios.
- input_sh 7y agoThat still can't be compared to an average eReader, whose battery lasts for weeks. I charge mine every two or three weeks (about an hour of usage per day).
- Simon_says 7y agoOf course it can be compared.
- feanaro 7y agoe-ink is still vastly superior for reading than any phone screen, IMO. The experience seems completely incomparable.