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I have bought more ebooks in the past year than hardcovers in the past 10 years; the same applies to my purchases of paperbacks. Hardcovers are fine when the presentation is part of the content; or if a paperback is simply not available.
In Canada, books in bricks and mortar stores are expensive -- which is why I almost always buy online, and usually at amazon (.ca or .com). Online is also generally much more convenient even though I have several large bookstores close by.
Here are two real life examples: Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love is $18.50 in a trade paper edition; at Kobo it's $10.49; at Amazon $9.05. Or Steig Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which is $13.50 in a mass paperback edition; at Kobo it's $7.99; at Amazon $7.65. It's no wonder that, where "the word's the thing", ebooks are much preferred and a lot easier on the pocketbook.
In fact -- the savings over time can easily pay for the ereader device, something that gets very little air play here or in the press. No wonder hardcovers are being eclipsed by ebooks -- and why Amazon's Bezos predicted that, at Amazon, pbooks may be eclipsed as early as 2012.
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