Marc Schultz

Battle of the Book Machines
August 8, 2007

Just found a couple handy hands-on reviews of the big two new book innovations currently available to consumers: the Espresso book machine and the Sony e-reader. Together, they make a sharp compare-and-contrast.

Eric Joyner

At if:book, Dan Visel recounts his encounter with the Espresso at the New York Public Library. He was none too impressed:

"It's not hard to imagine, however, that a decade from now the entire bookstore will have been replaced by one of these machines at the FedExKinkosBarnes&Noble. Holding my copy of Faulkner in my hands, the overwhelming feeling was one of cheapness: the book had been reduced, finally, to being a disposable consumer object, available as easily as a latte at Starbuck's."

Of course, I'm still not convinced we have to worry about that. UK-based Mssv managed to snag a Sony e-reader for $100 (apparently a Sony experiment in target pricing), and Adrian Hon has a lot to say about it, under the especially ominous heading "The Death of Publishers":

"eBook readers are about to get very good, very quickly. A full colour wireless eBook reader with a battery life of over a week, a storage capacity of a thousand books, and a flexible display will be yours for $150 in ten years time. If this sounds unbelievable, consider this - the first iPod was released only six years ago and cost $400. Imagine what an iPod will look like in four years time."

Posted by Marc Schultz on August 8, 2007 | Comments (0)