iPad People, Here's What You Missed

I didn't get an iPad this weekend. I'll probably get one sooner or latter (I have a birthday coming up, hint, hint), but for those of you who spent your Easter weekend playing with your iPad, the first picture should give you a taste of what you missed.

I entered some data into a spreadsheet to see if ebook reader pricing shows any trend. The data comes mostly from the MobileRead wiki. I've added two arrows to indicate two possible evolutionary paths for ebook readers.

One path, the tablet, is exemplified by the iPad. The tablet roadmap is characterized by a relatively constant price and ever increasing computer power and display functionality (color, speed, resolution).

The other path, exemplified by the Kindle, is the dedicated ebook reader. The reader roadmap is exemplified by relentless price reduction and gradually increasing accommodation for reading ebooks.

If you believe my extrapolations, the dedicated ebook reader will cost as little as $25 in 2014, and the iPad will still cost $400. You heard it here first.