Will e-book readers eventually go back to paper books?

[maritimer]

Let me share my experience. I have been using a Sony E reader on and off for about 3 years. i like it and its my preferred choice.

However I recall last fall getting a book(paper) from a friend in the fall , then getting 3-4 paper books for Christmas. So I ended up reading paper books for a few months, and for 2 of the books I received for Christmas i located the e versions. i'm 51, and require reading glasses and good light for comfortable reading. Of the 2 books remaining books, one was a very large hardcover and too heavy to read in bed and the other was a paperback with over 1000 pages in it and the font size was way too small. So the e books allowed me to read them in a much more comfortable way.

So i will likely always read both, depending on circumstances. The ability to share a paper book, or even see what someone elese is reading and strike up a conversation because of it are things I miss with e reading.
I'll be honest, i read so many books that i find with my ereader there are times i'm unsure what book i am reading. That never happens with a paperbook.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Sure you can. You just don't see service providers hawking them anymore. Either that or you usually find them in the realm of prepaid. Heck, I think Verizon's actually paying people to trade in their dumbphones for a smartphone (and corresponding $30/month data plan for 2 years)

Exactly, I have used T-Mobile pay as you go for years. I bought a Samsung Gravity t459 phone that was being discontinued for $129.00, and a $100.00 prepaid sim card.

No monthly bills, and if I remember to go in before the year is up all I have to do is buy say $10.00 worth of minutes to add to the minutes I already have I'm all set for another year.

While my phone is capable of doing lots of things if I purchase a data plan, all I use it for is phone calls and the occasional text message which saves me money.

[DMB]

Originally Posted by maritimer

Let me share my experience. I have been using a Sony E reader on and off for about 3 years. i like it and its my preferred choice.

However I recall last fall getting a book(paper) from a friend in the fall , then getting 3-4 paper books for Christmas. So I ended up reading paper books for a few months, and for 2 of the books I received for Christmas i located the e versions. i'm 51, and require reading glasses and good light for comfortable reading. Of the 2 books remaining books, one was a very large hardcover and too heavy to read in bed and the other was a paperback with over 1000 pages in it and the font size was way too small. So the e books allowed me to read them in a much more comfortable way.

So i will likely always read both, depending on circumstances. The ability to share a paper book, or even see what someone elese is reading and strike up a conversation because of it are things I miss with e reading.
I'll be honest, i read so many books that i find with my ereader there are times i'm unsure what book i am reading. That never happens with a paperbook.

I was given four paperbacks for Christmas. I read half on one of them to show willing and then gave all four away.

[Indio777]

I doubt that huge numbers of people will abandon the e-book format and go back exclusively to print books. Sure, like any other electronic device, there are probably some e-readers sitting in drawers, but I suspect most people who have e-readers will continue to use them.

Yes there are some less than desirable aspects (to my mind at least), such as multiple formats, DRM and pricing issues. I'm also not too crazy about the uncertainty of being able to replace the battery on certain devices.

On the other hand, for me, there are two great advantages: space and portability. I am running out of room for print books and it is nice to be able to carry what can amount to a library on a small device.

Earlier this year, I started reading free e-books on my phone just to see what reading an e-book was like. I could read on my phone during my commute as opposed to having to carry a physical book. So I bought a reader shortly before going on a trip earlier this year. Wow! What a space and weight saver--although I did bring along one print book just in case.

That being said, I am still firmly committed to print books and expect to remain so. I love the feel of books. I love to smell them.

And I still enjoy going to used bookstores. One never knows what "treasures" one might find.

For me it depends on the subject matter. For example, at this point I am not that interested in reading reference books, art/photography books, graphic novels or other books that contain a lot of illustrations on an e-reader. I think some books are better suited to being read in a physical format. A good example "might" be the Kindle deal for the day: Gotham : A History of New York City to 1898. I have been interested in this book for quite some time and the price was too good to pass up, so I bought it. The book contains numerous illustrations and maps. I have paged through the print copy and it will be interesting to see how the illustrations look on an e-reader in comparison.

[Salgueiros]

I don't think pbooks will disappear.

I am an avid reader and an early adopter of ebooks, but that does not prevent me from seeing both the advantages and disadvantages of ebooks. Ebooks are wonderful in their portability and lack of need of storage space, however they are not yet as good as paper books in page layout, fonts, feel. I do love to carry with me dozens of ebooks, but i also sometimes miss the feel, the smell and even the weight of a book in my hands. I haven't had any occasion where i purposefully read a paper book instead of the ebook version because i read books that have not yet ebook versions frequently, but i am sure when the time comes, i will switch regularly between paper and electrons.

And there is one thing i am not sure how ebooks will ever equal paper books. I love a bookstore and specially good used bookstores, and to see bookshelves full of books is something that gives me a endless pleasure, something that a screen with titles does not. Maybe in the future something will come up that mimics that, but right now, pbooks are unequaled in that field.

[Saxguy]

I’m an ex-pat, that is a Brit who now lives in New Zealand. I have on occasion been known to buy the “odd” Brit newspaper, just to keep abreast of the happenings back home. On saying that, everything can be found on the net these days.
However, recently I was pretty much immobile as my lower back decided that it was once again time to let me know who the boss was! Basically I couldn’t sit, but barely walk, so I spent most of a week doing nothing but lying in bed.
My wonderful wife gave me breakfast in bed, but then disappeared off to work each day leaving me alone for at least ten hours , and given that my laptop has recently bitten the dust, well thank god I have just recently taken charge of my first Kindle. I only have a few books on it, which I admit, apart from one, have all been free downloads from Amazon.

Whilst lying there the other day, playing with the kindle, trying out the different functions, the wi-fi was connected, and I thought to take a look as to what newspapers I could have a read of….. I downloaded The Daily Telegraph for a mere 75pence. Just being able to do that, To be lying incapacitated in my bed, in a rural, semi remote area of New Zealand, and to be able to press a couple of buttons and hey presto, you are reading the newspaper of your choice from a country on the other side of the world……. Does that not sum up how bloody good this piece of technology is?

Like many here, I love books, I love bookshops, and I miss dearly the old quirky bookshops from back home, but as for me, this e-book phenomenon, well it is unbelievable.

My Kindle is here to stay, that’s for sure.

[Anabana]

I have both and hope both are around as long as I am. I have 100s of books, some that I've owned for 40-50 yrs and I re-read them every year or two. They are 'old friends'. AND now that I've learned that Amazon is NOT my friend, gosh, I need those books! These are mostly books that have been out of print for 10 yrs or more, but copyright won't expire before my warranty does.

I bought (very inexpensive) ereaders for my dh and myself in the Christmas sales last year. He probably will never pick up another pbook. His philosophy is ' read it once, move on', so ebooks are perfect. He also has back problems and after a couple of surgeries, was finding it very difficult to hold a book for more than 10-15 mins., unless it had 200 or less pages. Raymond Chandler or Zane Grey, anyone? So now, he always has 15-20 books and they still weighs 7 oz.

For me, eBooks are all the books I want to read once - all the books I've always thought (or been told) that I should read; you know, Beowulf, Crime & Punishment, A Doll's House, Critique of Pure Reason, Return of the Native... and all the authors that I want to try before I buy. I belong to 3 libraries and get most of our books that way. Computers and ereaders are proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Anabana

...Computers and ereaders are proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Ah-Ha! So you're an Old Dog! You need a cool avatar for that.

Maybe like this:

or



Oh and Welcome to MR!

[Anabana]

Thanks, Kenny. And thanks for the suggestions. The grey muzzle on the 2nd one is appropriate, but the dog is a bit too dignified. I'd have to see what I can come up with...

On topic, I have friends who not only do not have ereaders, they don't even have computers -- gasp. Also, a much younger nephew who has downloaded nothing but reference books and tech manuals to his Kindle. Pitiful, isn't it?

[David71]

I would never willingly give up my Kindle and love being able to carry a virtual bookstore with me wherever I go. That being said, I still borrow books from my local library and have no problem reading paper books. I only read them at home and even there my reader gets a lot more use; it's just so convenient and easy to use. Plus, I'm running out of room for storage and books take up so much space.

The funny thing is that I'm much more set in my ways when it comes to music and movies, my other loves. I insist upon buying physical media when it comes to those two categories and will continue to do so as long as I can. I do have an iPod and transfer my albums to it for use at work but at home I always listen to (mostly) CDs and vinyl. I even pay $9.95 a month for Spotify but I mostly use it to listen to new albums I'm thinking about buying or to explore more classical music. I think it's wonderful for that and it gives me something to listen to when I'm at the computer. For me new and old can exist together just fine, but I hate to think about the day when I may no longer have a choice.

[allinhi/]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

No, becuase records have not replaced CDs or MP3s, they've just comeback to sit along side them.

Maybe electric cars, buses, once common and replaced by internal combustion, now coming back? There are other possible examples in energy related areas.

[allinhi/]

Originally Posted by DMB

To those who worry about the durability of electronic media (and yes, it is a problem), I would point out that dt books don't always last all that well. University libraries have to invest a lot in conservation and it is not easy. The older books -- handwritten on vellum or printed on rag paper -- last better than those on many modern papers with high acid content.

I have had to throw away some paperbacks that I've had for 40 or 50 years because of severe deterioration of the paper.

This makes the case well. Except for places where the govt. Controls information Ebooks are here to stay. Technology, battery life etc will improve and cost may come down. I suspect color nook foreshadows the near future with small tablets becoming social and entertainment devices, maybe mini hubs linking braclet, pin or other inexpensive devices. Pbooks aren't going away soon. But brick retail wii change.

[Graham Coulson]

Originally Posted by Anabana

For me, eBooks are all the books ... I want to try before I buy.

That's a great idea...

[RichL]

I've been reading e-books before e-book readers came into existence so I don't see myself going back to paper book. The exceptions to this is are books that I go back and forth between pages in, primarily reference or text books. I have never found a program or seen an e-book that has bookmarks that are as quick to see and use as a scrap piece of paper. Nor have I ever found a program or seen an e-book that allows me to comfortable write and recall notes the way I can write in a margin or on a bookmark.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by RichL

I've been reading e-books before e-book readers came into existence so I don't see myself going back to paper book. The exceptions to this is are books that I go back and forth between pages in, primarily reference or text books. I have never found a program or seen an e-book that has bookmarks that are as quick to see and use as a scrap piece of paper. Nor have I ever found a program or seen an e-book that allows me to comfortable write and recall notes the way I can write in a margin or on a bookmark.

Exactly.