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  • Is Steve Jobs Right?

    In a New York Times interview, Steve Jobs gave his assessment of various technology products. Regarding Amazon's Kindle, he said:
    “It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore. 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.”
    Do you think he's correct about this--that 40% don't read more than one book a year? I know that book sales have been on the decline, but this figure is staggering to me for what it bodes for book publishing companies (not to mention my own DH who writes books for a living).

    * So how many books do you estimate you read annually? Would you ever consider an electronic product like the Kindle in place of the real thing?

    * Do you think the decline in book sales will continue?

    * Assuming the 40% figure is accurate, do you think it's problematic that people aren't reading books much anymore?
    Last edited by U'ilani; January 16, 2008, 05:24 PM.
    * I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. *
    - Anna Quindlen

  • #2
    Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

    Books in general, or just [mainstream] fiction?

    No matter how much I try, I can't read a novel on the monitor.
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    • #3
      Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

      Originally posted by Random View Post
      Books in general, or just [mainstream] fiction?

      No matter how much I try, I can't read a novel on the monitor.
      All books of every kind--well, maybe not manga.

      I don't enjoy reading novels on a computer monitor either. I doubt I'd enjoy the experience on an electronic device like the Kindle, based on the problems I've read they have. I love audiobooks because I have to spend a lot of time driving, and a good narrator can add so much to a story.
      * I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. *
      - Anna Quindlen

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      • #4
        Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

        I don't think he pulled that number out of the air.

        I don't think mine are that low, but I haven't been reading all that many books. Reading, yes, but not books.

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        • #5
          Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

          Originally posted by U'ilani View Post
          In a New York Times interview, Steve Jobs gave his assessment of various technology products. Regarding Amazon's Kindle, he saido you think he's correct about this--that 40% don't read more than one book a year? I know that book sales have been on the decline, but this figure is staggering to me for what it bodes for book publishing companies (not to mention my own DH who writes books for a living).

          * So how many books do you estimate you read annually? Would you ever consider an electronic product like the Kindle in place of the real thing?

          * Do you think the decline in book sales will continue?

          * Assuming the 40% figure is accurate, do you think it's problematic that people aren't reading books much anymore?
          Jobs kinda missed the fact that a power tool like Kindle might make people read more than they're reading now. Or maybe he's worried that people are listening to less music on their iPods and making fewer calls on their iPhones? Maybe he's just pissed that Apple hasn't brought an iBook to market yet... uhm... never mind.

          Depending on what I'm reading on the Internet, I tear through 50-100 hardcopy books each year. 1-2 per week. On a trip involving lots of airplane travel or waiting in hotel rooms, I may go through a paperback a day.

          With a workable e-book gadget I'm likely to read even more, especially if I can quickly search all 10 volumes of David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series to see how he messes with the various plot lines. Kindle has a lot of possibilities for those questions like "Wait, what happened in book #3?" that currently take hours to sort out.

          And, yes, if Kindle et al catch on then hardcopy book sales may assume a decline similar to that of 33 RPM LPs, eight-track tapes, and dial telephones. But luckily Jelly's already sells hardcopy books...
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          • #6
            Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

            I read about 10+ books per year. Give or Take. Lots of other stuff too.

            I think people read more now than 25 years ago simply due to the Internet, and the "forced" reading you must do to surf. The old fashioned art of writing is in full bloom renaissance due to the net also.

            My daughter reads 3 books per day as required by her 1st grade curriculum.
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            • #7
              Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

              I read more than I ever have. Just not books.

              Reading books is, for I think many people, something we all feel (or know!) we should do more often, but rarely carve out the time to do so. I've bought two hardcover books in January, and hope to read both of them by the end of the year. That's how sad things have gotten.

              Back when I traveled internationally, I could read at least one, perhaps two paperback books per long-haul flight. A trip to Singapore would let me devour six legal thrillers or sci-fi classics. I don't have those opportunities anymore.

              As for Steve Jobs dismissing the Kindle and e-book readers, just remember what he said years ago about cell phones. For all we know he's just throwing folks off the scent of the iReader.

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              • #8
                Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

                Sadly, I think Jobs is right. People are reading fewer books than before.

                That doesn't mean they're reading less. In fact, they're probably reading more, but they're reading online (articles, blogs, news, etc.). The same can be said about newspapers. How many copies of the Advertiser or Bulletin do you BUY? Or do you read most of it online (like me)?

                Now, with the advent of reading devices like Kindle (which I'm interested in trying, by the way), does that mean there will be just that many more books that people will NOT buy?

                As for me, I love books. I read 10-12 books a year, pretty much all fiction. But I used to read more.

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                • #9
                  Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

                  In the past, I have bought a eBook to put on my Palm. I found it quite handy as I could read anytime I had a moment to wait. But to me the vital key was to do it on a device I already had on me not another gadget to haul around. If you've got to haul around something else, it might as well be a book.

                  To me the sauces of the iPod is because you no longer had to haul around a separate folder of disks or tapes for your walkman/diskman. The same concept needs to apply to the eBook.

                  For Jobs, he needs to put it on the iPod and integrate it into iTunes.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

                    Kindle might be cool, but I haven't gotten into it. I would be interested in getting an electronic device for reading but there's a certain aesthetic about paper books and I don't mean looking sophisticated to friends visiting and seeing your library. I guess it's the tactility.

                    My difficulty with books stems from my nature of being finicky. I'd probably read more if I could take the plunge and try out various other authors.

                    I've actually read a novella online once. Sat at my computer and read it. The experience wasn't too painful, though I wouldn't do it again on a desktop PC, maybe a laptop as I like to lounge on a sofa or my bed.

                    For anyone who tried out the Kindle, how'd your eyes react to it for lengthy reading? If I'm into a book, I could read for hours and not stop. I'm not so sure it's possible to do that comfortably with an electronic reader.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

                      Well when it takes our public school system to offer free pizza to get kids to read (more often) that's a telling story.

                      I agree that we should read more often as it does stimulate brain development (even in our latter years) but I like the rest of the book-challenged people in this world don't read as often as I should. I call it laziness on my part. Well I did read two books last night to my son Jesse before bedtime (does that count?)

                      But I also understand that there are a few that simply cannot read...period!

                      How many times have I had to recite to a customer about the features of a powertool (including the warranty period) when it's clearly stated on the packaging he's staring at! I wonder if they take advantage of the rebate programs we offer as well. That fine print can be hard to understand (to a 4th grader) but one standard that the US Military requires is that each recruit must be able to read at least at the 9-grade level.

                      As an adult we all should be reading at the college level by high school graduation.

                      But how many of us actually can read at that level, let alone comprehend dialog at that level?

                      I think Mr. Jobs is right in his assessment.
                      Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

                        Originally posted by GeckoGeek View Post
                        I don't think he pulled that number out of the air.

                        I don't think mine are that low, but I haven't been reading all that many books. Reading, yes, but not books.
                        Book in general?

                        Because I got a shelf full of role-playing game books and if I'm bored from surfing the net, I'd take one down and read till my eyes droop to sleep.
                        Beijing 8-08-08 to 8-24-08

                        Tiananmen Square 4-15-89 to 6-04-89

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                        • #13
                          Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

                          Originally posted by U'ilani View Post
                          Do you think he's correct about this--that 40% don't read more than one book a year?
                          I read the same number in a NYT article last summer. This is what I figure: 60% of American adults DO read more than one book per year. That's huge. If 60% of Americans wore perfume at least once per year, I'd want a piece of that pie. If 60% of Americans went to a play? Or purchased jewelry?

                          So how many books do you estimate you read annually? Would you ever consider an electronic product like the Kindle in place of the real thing?
                          It's hard to say. This past year I've read at least sixty, but then I'm writing a thesis that demands it. I usually save my reading for summer vacation and whenever I've got large amounts of time to myself, so I'll say that in a normal year it's in the area of twenty to thirty, but keep in mind also that a lot of my taste leans in the direction of juvenile fiction, which tends to be shorter.

                          Do you think the decline in book sales will continue?
                          Probably, but I don't think the market will ever become dire. People still think of books as somewhere to go for information; I know the Internet is eventually going to take most of that away, yet I don't see the bookstore ever becoming a thing of the past.

                          Assuming the 40% figure is accurate, do you think it's problematic that people aren't reading books much anymore?
                          It's not problematic, but it sure would be nice (and to everyone's benefit) if people did read more books.


                          Originally posted by Random View Post
                          No matter how much I try, I can't read a novel on the monitor.
                          I can, but I really have to want to. It's not fun.


                          Originally posted by Nords View Post
                          Jobs kinda missed the fact that a power tool like Kindle might make people read more than they're reading now.
                          Good point. When I got my first iPod, I listened to music LOTS more; this drove up my yearly spending on music, too. Having iTunes on my laptop computer has also done a lot for the amount of time I spend listening to music and even purchasing it online.

                          With a workable e-book gadget I'm likely to read even more, especially if I can quickly search all 10 volumes of David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series to see how he messes with the various plot lines. Kindle has a lot of possibilities for those questions like "Wait, what happened in book #3?" that currently take hours to sort out.
                          Huge plus. One of my biggest problems with carrying around reading material is that I've got several books going at once, and I can't anticipate what kind of reading mood I'll be in when I finally get to sit down and read. I'm single and live alone, so I dine out a lot and always have reading material handy. As I've mentioned in another thread, I almost always have the day's newspaper, one or two current magazines, and two or three books. Being able to have most (if not all) of that in one book-sized device would be very nice.


                          Originally posted by Honoruru View Post
                          The same can be said about newspapers. How many copies of the Advertiser or Bulletin do you BUY? Or do you read most of it online (like me)?
                          As we've discussed elsewhere on HT, I seem to be in the minority on this one. Nothing for me replaces the experience of reading the daily paper. It is a love I will not part with so quickly.


                          Originally posted by GeckoGeek View Post
                          In the past, I have bought a eBook to put on my Palm. I found it quite handy as I could read anytime I had a moment to wait. But to me the vital key was to do it on a device I already had on me not another gadget to haul around. If you've got to haul around something else, it might as well be a book.
                          Totally true, but instead of hauling around several books and magazines, you could be hauling around one book-sized device; you say as much when you mention the iPod's replacing a whole CD-carrier. Remember when you got your first mp3 player? Weren't you looking around for stuff to put on it? There was so much room! If I had a Kindle (and I will by year's end, I predict), I'd spend quite a bit of money acquiring content, I believe.

                          I've had text on my smartphone, and while riding a bus, I've enjoyed its compact size and the ability to manipulate it with one hand (we're still talking about books, right?). It's been a different experience and not unpleasant, but I wouldn't want to read all my stuff that way.


                          Originally posted by DaFerret View Post
                          Kindle might be cool, but I haven't gotten into it. I would be interested in getting an electronic device for reading but there's a certain aesthetic about paper books and I don't mean looking sophisticated to friends visiting and seeing your library. I guess it's the tactility.
                          Not only the tactility (which is huge, I agree), but everything ELSE about the experience of reading a book. Turning the cover to see what the inner flap looks like. Smelling either that new-book smell (heavenly!) or that hasn't-been-opened-in-years smell (not as heavenly, but a special experience itself). The sound a book makes when you toss it upon the couch. Reading is a sensual experience.
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                          • #14
                            Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

                            Originally posted by scrivener View Post
                            Totally true, but instead of hauling around several books and magazines, you could be hauling around one book-sized device; you say as much when you mention the iPod's replacing a whole CD-carrier.
                            Well, except now, I'm NOT hauling any reading material around. If I was, then a eBook would be attractive. But I'm not, so the idea of hauling more stuff isn't attractive.

                            Maybe if I had a long riding commute, or as a collage student put all my textbooks on it, going on a vacation where I expect to do a lot of book reading.

                            One thing that would tempt me is if I could get my magazines that way. Instant delivery and I can save all my old copies electronically rather then stack them up in my apartment. But it would need to be color.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Is Steve Jobs Right?

                              Originally posted by GeckoGeek View Post
                              But it would need to be color.
                              Here, here!
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