Steve Jobs: People don't read anymore
In an article in the New York Times yesterday, Steve Jobs sums up the problems with the Amazon Kindle thusly:
Today he had a wide range of observations on the industry, including the Amazon Kindle book reader, which he said would go nowhere largely because Americans have stopped reading.
“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore,” he said. “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.”
Of course, as EnGadget points out, you're reading this right now.
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re: Steve Jobs: People don't read anymore
Yup, key point: the web is still largely a *written* medium ... folk always seem to forget that.
The Kindle has a myriad of problems and issues that need sorting. Kindle mk IV might be worth looking at though! But, actually, I think the real breakthough will come when e-book reader technology is folded back into your average laptop. And when your average laptop is as thin and powerful as the MacBook Air we'll all be good to go!
But, regardless of that, if Jobs' stats are correct, then 60% of Americans DO read one book or more each year ... and that figure, it seems, was enough for Amazon.com to build up a very healthy billion dollar business.
My own employer, The Book Depository, turned over £24million last year selling books. Even if lots of folk don't read much ... lots of others do. And they represent enough of a chunk of society for authors, booksellers and publishers to be around for a good while yet.
The Kindle has a myriad of