Debates: VERSUS?
Steve: While it is true that the consumer needs a device to read an ebook, the cost of these mobile devices is quite reasonable, ranging from $59 to $400, and in our research the price of devices was considered a good value by all but 2.4% of respondents. Only 5.6% of respondents said that the device purchase price was a significant problem. I think that you are overstating the support issues. Most households already have Internet access and free Wi-Fi is readily available to most consumers. Devices can fail or need replacing, but so can the bindings of well-used books like my favorite cookbooks.
John Parsons (john@intuideas.com), former Editorial Director of The Seybold Report, is an independent writer, ghostwriter, and editor. He is the co-author of the interactive printed textbook, Introduction to Graphic Communication, on the art, science and business of print, which has been adopted by Ryerson, Arizona State, the University of Houston, and many other schools and vocational training centers. Custom editions of the book are under consideration by major printing companies and franchises for internal training purposes.