Both true. But the difference is that the production of BWP had only a nodding connection to commerciality, whereas HBW was on a highly commercial footing from the outset, being financed/operated (and, unlike BWP, is still being monetized) in a far more savvy way. There really is no comparison to be made between the two.
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Field guides in the future (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter DMW
- Start date
However savvy it was, there will come a time (and this is already happening) when it is worth less than it once was. It might still be monetised, but the amount they can charge is much less then when HBW was launched. That process will continue. Also, most money HBW stuff makes these days is from the new field guides, which they sell for pretty high prices. I think they can make money from them at the moment (and I've bought them myself), but paradoxically the development of apps like Merlin will probably make those field guides less sellable at a high price. Why buy the expensive Lynx guide when you can download a Merlin pack for free, which has content that's pretty much as good?
Is it? - anywhere near? I've spent time looking at only the west Pal stuff in Merlin so far, but the ID text for that is in no way a replacement for a field guide. It could be, if they chose to put the effort/money into adding more ID-focused text - but . . . they haven't.
See my earlier post and DMW's about Mexico. For use in the field, Merlin is probably the most convenient thing available for that country and is probably better in most respects than e.g. the van Perlo guide. It's not as good as some field guides (e.g. Howell & Webb, Vallely & Dyer) as a reference book yet, but for in the field use (balancing detail with convenience) it's the best and what I would use most of the time. It won't be as good as the Collins guide (or app) in Europe but most parts of the world don't have a field guide as good as that.
HBW are mostly monetising their product by making field guides for areas that are not well-served by existing guides. They're good field guides but they're not Collins guide level and, most significantly, they're too big to be easy to use in the field. If Merlin releases a free pack for a part of the world that's covered by a Lynx HBW guide, that will be what I (and I suspect many others going forward) will use most of the time. It absolutely will replace a field guide for use in the field. Field guides will become reference books for use at home (which many are already to be honest).
That's what I said.
DMW
Well-known member
Cornell is soliciting input from birders with expertise in particular areas or species to contribute text. A great strength of the digital realm is that many individually minor incremental improvements can be made and the guide updated constantly without the need to wait 1 or 2 decades for a second edition.
Contact lenses' ...why not just have them implanted in your eyes or brain? ... walking field guides always 'on you'... jimOr for 'phones' read 'contact lenses'?? (that may be a little farther into the future)
dantheman
Bah humbug
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