The Age of the Ereader is drawing to a close. That’s the drumbeat this week, after iSuppli pegged the year-over-year decline of reader sales at a staggering 36 percent. It makes sense; why get a fuddy little Kobo when there are cheap Kindle Fires aplenty to be had? Turns out, plenty of reasons. Tablets are great, sure. But ereaders—in so many ways—are even better. Here’s why. They’re cheap. Okay, sure, you can get an $80 tablet from Walgreens. But you’ll hate it, and hate yourself for buying it. Entry price for a serviceable 7-inch tablet is $200, which—unless you’ve got very deep pockets—isn’t exactly pocket change. For just $70, though, you can get a very serviceable Kindle. Or an adorably tiny Kobo Mini for $50. You can pay more than that for an oil change.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.