More on TechnologyTell: Gadget News | Apple News
The end of single-purpose devices
November 11, 2009 | 12:19 am
|
By Chris Meadows
eWeek’s Jim Rapoza has a blog post suggesting single-purpose devices’ days are numbered. We have touched on the same points as the article a number of times, but it bears repeating: single-purpose devices, such as mp3 players or e-book readers, are less convenient than multi-purpose devices such as iPhones or Blackberries.
Even if the single-purpose devices are better at their purpose than the multi-purpose device, Rapoza suggests, the multi-purpose one will still win out because it is simply more convenient. I am inclined to agree: my iPod Touch may not have as big a screen as the e-ink readers I have tested, but I do not have any problem reading on it—and it fits better in my pocket.
|
Previous
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS
Comments:
I tend to agree too – why not have an eReader that can play video, surf the Web, store photos, etc.? However, history seems to tell a different story. For years we’ve been able to get phones with cameras and MP3 players on them, but there is still a robust market for digital cameras and MP3 players. I think the reason is that most phones’ camera and MP3 abilities are sub-par. Will the same hold true for eReaders? Only time will tell.
The power of single-purpose devices is that they offer more choices of how to enjoy that purpose. For instance, my PDA can play MP3s, but it does not offer the multiple folders, equalizers, full tag display and easy searching functions that my MP3 player has. And my cellphone will take pictures, but it does not give me quick and easy-to-use zoom control, variable setting controls, motion recording with sound, or a flash.
Multi-purpose devices generally do their job, but simply. Some people want more out of that purpose, and single-function devices provide that. So single-function devices will probably be with us for a long, long time.
More, in the ebook reader arena, extreme specialization has value in two forms:
1- Cost, as the current product baseline drops in price and slots in as the entry level ereader hardware config
2- Optimization, as the two signature features of dedicated readers (paperlike B&W screen and extreme battery life) are complementary and difficult to maintain while adding support for other features.
This isn’t to say that ebook reading as an activity can’t occur elsewhere (as cellphone camera usage attests) but there is no reason to expect this newly emergent gadget category to go away any time soon. If anything, the higher-end variants might actually steal users from some multi-purpose devices (Netbooks and laptops come to mind). After all, a high-end connected ebook reader with a color screen (coming!) and fast refresh (probably coming) would be indistinguashable from a webpad, feature-wise. Lets not forget, Kindle already has a vestigial browser built-in, and the defining feature of ebook readers is the *consumption* of information. (Creation of content is the PC’s signature feature and communication is the cellphone’s core.)
We need to get away from this zero-sum thinking, guys; there is room for many hardware platforms under the ebook umbrella. The rise of usage in one category does not imply the demise of another. That is narrow-minded thinking.
(Reminds me of the early days of the PalmPilot; a Palm enthusiast allowed him self to be presented to the national media proclaiming that a PalmPilot allowed him to do without his laptop and that a PalmPilot was “all the computer anybody needs.” Yeah, right. How’d that turn out, huh?)
We’re all different people with different needs and preferences; what works for some won’t work for others. As pointed out, even a casual glance at other product categories proves that the exact opposite is true; single function devices prosper and dominate despite competition from multi-purpose devices: despite all the smartphone hype over iphones, winmo, symbian, and android, 90% of all cellphones sold in a given year are pure communications devices with no internet, no gaming, no apps, and (alas) no ebook readers.
The rise of gaming in cellphones hasn’t stopped Nintendo DS from printing money like a mint, nor has Sony’s PS3 done much to hurt (or help, for that matter) BluRay’s slow natural adoption.
Standalone digital cameras still take the bulk of vacation and birthday party photos and the vast majority of digital audio is still played on music-focused gadgets.
Let’s not let hype get in the way of reality, guys.
Accessibility and convenience through multipurpose devices has its uses but it also requires trade-offs that single purpose devices don’t have to make. Optimization usually means higher performance and lower costs and lower cost means greater sales.
For ebooks to prosper what are needed are cheaper dedicated readers (preferably in blister packs in drugstores and supermarkets) and software apps that support multipurpose devices like PCs and smartphones. Both have a role to play.
Neither is going kill anything.
Agree that the single-purpose device will (and should) suffer. I just don’t understand why Amazon, Sony and Apple continue to spend so much time developing eReaders when all it will take is for one manufacturer to build a portable, wireless, rollup screen. Game over.
Most would agree that the only limitation they have with their iPhone or Blackberry is when it comes to reading books on them. If a screen the size and flexibility of a mousepad were made available, why would anyone buy another device?
You could use the screen to watch movies, play games, read books, browse web with not additional service charges. It would simply be an optional extension you would plug in and use (just like expanded monitors people use when they dock their laptops at home).
Tons of upsell opportunity if you offer a book-like frame to hold the screen, or console-like body for playing games, different size screens, carrying cases, etc.
As with all technology, the first screens would be a little bulky (maybe like a rolled up mousepad), but over time would get thinner, wireless, etc.
People will always carry their phones. They can use them as the convenient gems they are today, browsing, calling, texting, reading. Only now they would have a portable option to make that more enjoyable.
So I ask, if you had a portable, wireless, rollup screen for your iPhone (call it Pyrus to match Apple’s clever nomenclature)would you buy a Kindle or other multi-device? I know I wouldn’t.
Because some people don’t want video, email, games, internet, or phones when reading. I know I don’t. I think the true success of the Kindle comes from not being like a computer and many sundry thing you can do with it. There is no way I’m going to read on a !@#$ phone!. The game is afoot. There will be both.
The drawback for me to reading on an iPhone is battery life and screen size. If the long-promised Apple Tablet ever materializes and it can run eReader and go 24 hours between charges, that might be it for for. But otoh am Apple Tablet would be very bulky to take to the gym and listen to music on
So I would still need a regular ipod too. So, so much for the idea that one multi-function device will rule the world 
E-readers are no longer single-purpose. Most of the newer ones can also play MP3 files. So in a strict sense they are not single purpose. Other functions are also creeping in. Their main advantages are, however, screen size and the readability. EInk screens are better for reading than other displays. In the future probably most screens will get the quality of these screens. Remains the size. I read ebooks on my iPod Touch because I don’t have a dedicated e-reader yet. Or I read them on my laptop. One is too small to be really confortable, although it is bearable. The other one is too large for example in bed. Even on the couch it is a bit bulky and it gets hot. So I think I will get an e-reader too. Just waiting for the perfect model to appear here. The Nook seems nice but there is no indication when it will be available in my country.
I don’t consider battery life a big point. It is nice if you can read ebooks during your vacation without charging the device but you will have to charge your phone anyway, so why not charge the e-reader also? Moreover battery technique is gradually increasing so the differences may become insignificant in the future.
So I think in the end the main reason to have more than one device will be the size. I don’t see people making phone calls with a pocketbook-sized devices. The phone should be quickly accessible in your pocket because it is used for brief, unplanned actions. That also includes address book lookups and diary. E-readers and laptops are used for activities that last longer and they can be kept in your bag or briefcase. For listening to music size doesn’t matter whether you do it off the phone or anything else.
“The drawback for me to reading on an iPhone is battery life and screen size.” – ficbot
Screen size is a fundamental design restriction on any converged device. It represents the single best reason for dedicated readers, IMO.
Short battery life, on the other hand, is an Apple fetish, easily cured by the advanced technology feature called “replaceable batteries”. It was invented for flashlights in the 1920′s and is making slow, but good progress in other technology areas, except Apple.
My current smartphone, which I use for casual reading only, due to the smaller screen size, has sufficient battery life in its two batteries to last for a full day of heavy use. More typical use is several days.
Regards,
Jack Tingle
…and XKCD shall lead us.
http://xkcd.com/662/
I swear that strip is scary.
Regards,
Jack Tingle