Seattlest: Steve Jobs On the Kindle: "The Whole Conception Is Flawed"

Jack

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:04:08 -0800

Jobs is absolutely right. Which is why with every new commercial development and mall renovation, a new Barnes & Noble or Borders Books gets built. And why these places are always crowded. Because Americans have stopped reading.

Chris V

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:33:12 -0800

Steve Jobs is wrong. People DO read - all the time. Right now, YOU are reading. With the popularity of the internet, Americans are now reading more than ever.

Michael van Baker

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:42:15 -0800

Plus, we're actually *ahead* of the Canadians when it comes to reading:According to a new Ipsos Reid survey, which was commissioned by CanWest News Service and Global Television, nearly a third of adults (31 per cent) across the country didn't read a single book for pleasure in all of 2007. The discouraging figure puts Canadians four points behind the U.S., where an identical poll last August showed 27 per cent of Americans hadn't picked up a book in the previous 12 months.

TroyJMorris

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:25:01 -0800

Have you seen the new Mac Air? It doesn't have a CD/DVD drive because only 40% of people actually used a disc last year. Yes, I pulled that number out of my ass. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to wifi everything. My laptop needs a player because I'm just too friggin' lazy to digitize everything (as are 60% of my friends). It's much too much work to rip all my movies, catalogue them, buy a big wifi capable hard-drive etc. When confronted with all that work, I'd rather read a book.

James Callan

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:16:21 -0800

Even if Jobs' numbers were accurate, I'm sure Bezos is comfortable with a niche that comprises 60% of the population. And it's not like books are the only things people read, especially on electronic devices.

jessejb

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:15:49 -0800

Is he trying to start a bandwagon to stop reading and just listen to IPods? I think so...

Michael van Baker

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:14:49 -0800

Not that the barbarians aren't at the gate, you know, but I understand that "a book" in that survey referred only to fiction, not non-fiction. In that context, I'm okay with 40% of the U.S. taking time to read a novel.