Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lake
Ya know, not discounting anyone who reads ebooks, but I'm wondering if the reasons behind these numbers is less about people owning ereaders, and more about the fact that those who do are already prolific readers. Think about it. If you're someone who reads a lot, what are you going to do? Have your own public library full of print books in your house and constantly have to shovel all the read ones off to the library or book sales or other locations, or even store them? Or will you instead have a single device capable of holding a library full of books in your hand? I'd likely say the latter in all honesty. So there comes an interesting dilemma. If the early adopters are all prolific readers, what will happen to reading rates once everyone else starts to adopt ebooks and ebook readers?
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I
was a prolific reader before I got my first Kindle. So yes, I fall into that group of early adapters. The interesting questions though if it influenced my reading habits. Did I start to read more or was it about the same.
It kind of developed in stages for me. First, I was enthralled by the technology and the screen's quality. I happened to buy my Kindle II just a few weeks before the Kindle III was released. I asked Amazon if I could exchange my II for III, and they said it was no problem. Nice people, so when I got the III, the first thing I did was spend some $50 on eBooks. Having spent that money I felt compelled to read it all. Now, for $50 I got a whole lot more books in electronic format than I did in the paper version (S&H being the culprit for me, living outside the US), so just that factor increased my reading.
It kind of increased to the degree that I one day realized I hadn't watched any TV for three months. I looked at my cable bill, and came to the conclusion that I could read at least 60 full prized eBooks from Amazon for the same amount of money. Add to that that I could literally purchase a new book while riding the bus. That to me was the turning point, I no longer saw any need for paper books nor for watching TV.
During the summer - not the longest of seasons in Sweden - I play a lot of golf (gotta get it done before the dark returns) so I don't spend as much time reading. One day I discovered that I had my Kindle in the car, so parking at the golf club I brought it along and put it in my bag. When we came to the 8th hole there were three groups in front waiting to tee off. Instead of getting frustrated I took out my Kindle and began reading. It turned completely quiet. "What is that? What are you doing?" My answer: "Avoiding partaking in your bovine conversations". "What does she mean by that? What is bovine? I think it has to do with cows." That was the moment I had another epiphany, the Kindle could actually protect me from inane environments. No more pointless discussions while riding a bus nor a golf cart.
All this for a mere $140, now that is priceless.