Will e-book readers eventually go back to paper books? - Page 11

DMB · 09-22-2011, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

Having just come home after a brief trip up to Sydney (one and a half hour's flight from Melbourne), I have discovered the one drawback of an e-reader. You spend quite a bit of time not being allowed to read because all electronic devices must be turned off during take-off and until the seatbelt sign goes off, and then again when it goes back on for the descent. Hard to believe an ereader in Airplane mode could cause any problems, but those are the rules.

It adds up to quite a bit of time on a short flight and I was wishing I had brought a paper book with me instead. But for a longer flight and of course a longer time away, it's so much easier with an ereader than carrying a few books with me.

I have quite a lot of paper books as yet unread, so will be reading both paper and e books for quite some time to come. But I do love the ease of reading with an ereader.

I always take a magazine or newspaper for takeoff and landing and ereader for the rest of the time.

kennyc · 09-22-2011, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Terminator

I'll never go back.

Wait didn't you one say, "I'll be baaack!"

Scott Nicholson · 09-22-2011, 09:47 PM

I still read paperbacks and audio books but I don't ever expect to make them my main sources again. But they will be around.

faithbw · 09-22-2011, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

The ones that don't probably bought the Cheap Model or forgot to research the availability/usefulness of the source material format they wished to read on that model.

Or were gifted an e-reader even though they show no interest in actually using it. It probably happens more often than we think. I would think the majority of unused e-readers fall in this category. Most of the time, when people buy something for themselves, they usually make sure that it's something they really want and will use. I mean if I was spending money on something, I would make sure it was something that I was going to use.

mldavis2 · 09-23-2011, 08:48 AM

I suspect, if my own experience with friends is any indication, that acceptance of eReaders will be slow but steady among retirees who are technologically challenged. I have shown several pBook fans my eReader and they were amazed that you could read a book and actually choose a font size that you can see, and you don't need a bookmark!

Many pBooks, especially in paperback format, are small font sizes which are becoming a real issue with elderly people with failing eyesight. On a recent trip to my favorite used book store with an old friend, she passed over several books she said she wanted to read but couldn't because the type size was too small. And then there's the ability to vocalize the text which, although still mechanical and without proper inflection, nevertheless opens up new worlds for the visually challenged, if that's your only option.

As long as there are technological restrictions (surmountable but difficult for most) to sharing eBooks, pBooks will survive for reference, sharing and display.

darknessangel · 09-23-2011, 09:00 AM

Skipping all the thread.... I would say there is one main important reason why this isn't going back... volume. The volume of paper you accumulate. No way I'm going back to huge bookshelves no matter how romantic that may seem. Perhaps I'll start collecting antique versions of the books I like when I own a house, but for new books... no paper!

pdurrant · 09-23-2011, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Terminator

I'll never go back.

Come now, we all know that you'll be back...

elizilla · 09-23-2011, 05:39 PM

I bought my parents a Kindle, almost two years ago now. They claim that they like it, and they carry it around. But they have been using it in a way that makes me wonder why they bother... they have been putting one book on it at a time, and never, ever, ever read that book when they're not together - they take turns reading aloud to each other in the car. They don't adjust the font size because it's too hard, and they don't ever leave their page in the book because they refuse to be convinced that they can get back to it.

I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually give up on the Kindle and go back to regular paper books. After all if you're not going to take advantage of any of the things that an ereader can do that a paper book can't, what is the point of having to worry about charging it up and protecting it from breakage?

They do, however, report that the other retirees in their senior citizen condo complex, had heard of Kindles and were keen to see it, and that other people there have purchased them after seeing this one. Maybe some of these other people are getting more value from them.

mldavis2 · 09-23-2011, 06:25 PM

Yes, the font size selection screen is accessed by a button on the bottom of the keypad. Unfortunately, the Aa on the button is so small that people who cannot see the default font on the Kindle screen would never be able to read the Aa on the font size button. But how else or how easier could you do it? Catch-22. Perhaps a touch-screen zoom feature would work, but not with eInk screens. Or call your grandkids and ask them to 'fix' it for you.

kiwidude · 09-23-2011, 06:59 PM

I convinced my Dad (just turned 70) to buy a Kindle for him and Mum to share. I happened to be visiting when it arrived and Dad was away so I got my Mum into trying it. She is utterly terrified by all electronics (won't even attempt to turn on the main TV because of the complications of input sources and multiple remotes). By the time my Dad got back a few weeks later he had no chance of being allowed to use it and has had to buy another one, so for me it was a big success story.

Mum still struggles with it in terms of usage and has to refer to my instructions (which she laminated and tucked in between the Kindle and the cover) but she loves reading on it and always has it in her handbag to go everywhere with her. Since that time a few of their similar generation friends have bought one, but they have been the ones more comfortable with computers. I think if Dad wasn't putting the books on it for her then she would give up on it though (she *really* has a mental block about learning how to use electronics of any kind).

I've had a thread here about selling my DT fiction books, as I have no intention of "going back" for fiction reading as the e-ink Kindle wins hands down for me. One handed reading while gripping for dear life on the London tube, falling asleep every night while reading and not having to spend 5 mins next time re-reading to find what page I was on plus the usual stuff everyone else has mentioned.

I am not getting rid of "all" my DT books (things like photography books etc are best in their paper format). I have been reading my technical programming PDFs on my iPad 2, but it is a "meh" experience imho. As convenient as it is compared to a huge heavy stack of books, the screen resolution is not good enough, iBooks sucks, glare is a major problem from office fluorescents, it is way too heavy to hold one handed, etc. I'll try sticking with it a bit longer as I really don't want to go back to buying and lugging around big manuals again. I think the current iPad/tablets are over-rated as a reading device - they have their uses and do other cool things, but having used one for many months now there are a heck of a lot of technical issues before I would recommend one for reading purposes.

A work colleague and his wife have around 3,000 paperback/hardback books and coincidentally now that he is a Kindle convert he is looking to dispose of those. While he is 100% sold on ebooks, he has not been able to convince his wife who by the sounds of it predecided before even trying his Kindle that she wouldn't like it. He thinks she just likes destroying the spines of his previously immaculate collection! So he will keep a small subset of his collection for her to read, and the rest he will "lose". A lifetime of books collected being passed on.

Conductor · 09-24-2011, 12:12 AM

I'm a 72 year old newbie to ereaders who was surprised to find how much he enjoyed it, in spite of all the silly typeface quirks and other minor gremlins that will eventually be resolved.
BUT, give up hardcovers and paperbacks--No!
Too many of my favorite authors are still not available. And many of the older authors' work that is available is priced way higher than the 50 cents or a dollar I'll pay in a thrift store.
Times are changing, but in the words of Lawrence Block, "Now is the only time it will ever be."

xg4bx · 09-24-2011, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mldavis2

I suspect, if my own experience with friends is any indication, that acceptance of eReaders will be slow but steady among retirees who are technologically challenged. I have shown several pBook fans my eReader and they were amazed that you could read a book and actually choose a font size that you can see, and you don't need a bookmark!

Many pBooks, especially in paperback format, are small font sizes which are becoming a real issue with elderly people with failing eyesight. On a recent trip to my favorite used book store with an old friend, she passed over several books she said she wanted to read but couldn't because the type size was too small. And then there's the ability to vocalize the text which, although still mechanical and without proper inflection, nevertheless opens up new worlds for the visually challenged, if that's your only option.

As long as there are technological restrictions (surmountable but difficult for most) to sharing eBooks, pBooks will survive for reference, sharing and display.

i'm only 33 and have decent eyesight and theres plenty of fonts that even i can't read in pbooks. they're just too small and i shouldn't have to hold them up to my face.

tompe · 09-24-2011, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xg4bx

i'm only 33 and have decent eyesight and theres plenty of fonts that even i can't read in pbooks. they're just too small and i shouldn't have to hold them up to my face.

Really? I have never noticed that. Are you sure you do not need glasses or lenses?

ebusinesstutor · 09-24-2011, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

If there is an EMP that destroys ebook readers we're gonna have much bigger problems than what to read!

Could happen.

The Carrington Event (super solar flare) in 1859 created a magnetic storm so powerful that telegraph operators received electrical shocks, telegraph paper caught on fire, pylons were throwing sparks and some operators noticed their systems were still able to send and receive messages despite being disconnected from their power supplies.

I'm thinking that today's technology would fare much worse if we had another one of that size and bigger.

NickyWithNook · 09-24-2011, 01:39 PM

I won't go back to regular books for a few reasons:

1. My eyes are getting old and being able to change font size is useful.

2. I hate clutter and after I've read a book, it becomes clutter to me. But I have this conflicting urge to not get rid of books I like. I can hold onto ebooks without them becoming clutter.

3. It's just smaller and easier to hold than a book, except maybe a paperback, but then I have to go back to #1.

09-23-2011, 05:39 PM	#158
elizilla Addict Posts: 271 Karma: 610286 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Sage, others	I bought my parents a Kindle, almost two years ago now. They claim that they like it, and they carry it around. But they have been using it in a way that makes me wonder why they bother... they have been putting one book on it at a time, and never, ever, ever read that book when they're not together - they take turns reading aloud to each other in the car. They don't adjust the font size because it's too hard, and they don't ever leave their page in the book because they refuse to be convinced that they can get back to it. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually give up on the Kindle and go back to regular paper books. After all if you're not going to take advantage of any of the things that an ereader can do that a paper book can't, what is the point of having to worry about charging it up and protecting it from breakage? They do, however, report that the other retirees in their senior citizen condo complex, had heard of Kindles and were keen to see it, and that other people there have purchased them after seeing this one. Maybe some of these other people are getting more value from them. Last edited by elizilla; 09-23-2011 at 05:42 PM.

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09-22-2011, 09:47 PM	#153
Scott Nicholson Scott Nicholson, author Posts: 363 Karma: 2029337 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Boone NC Device: Kindle	I still read paperbacks and audio books but I don't ever expect to make them my main sources again. But they will be around.

09-23-2011, 08:48 AM	#155
mldavis2 Coffee Nut Posts: 410 Karma: 298350 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Missouri Device: Kindle 3; K4PC; Calibre	I suspect, if my own experience with friends is any indication, that acceptance of eReaders will be slow but steady among retirees who are technologically challenged. I have shown several pBook fans my eReader and they were amazed that you could read a book and actually choose a font size that you can see, and you don't need a bookmark! Many pBooks, especially in paperback format, are small font sizes which are becoming a real issue with elderly people with failing eyesight. On a recent trip to my favorite used book store with an old friend, she passed over several books she said she wanted to read but couldn't because the type size was too small. And then there's the ability to vocalize the text which, although still mechanical and without proper inflection, nevertheless opens up new worlds for the visually challenged, if that's your only option. As long as there are technological restrictions (surmountable but difficult for most) to sharing eBooks, pBooks will survive for reference, sharing and display.

09-23-2011, 09:00 AM	#156
darknessangel Addict Posts: 297 Karma: 1018140 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: PRS-505, iPad	Skipping all the thread.... I would say there is one main important reason why this isn't going back... volume. The volume of paper you accumulate. No way I'm going back to huge bookshelves no matter how romantic that may seem. Perhaps I'll start collecting antique versions of the books I like when I own a house, but for new books... no paper!

09-23-2011, 06:25 PM	#159
mldavis2 Coffee Nut Posts: 410 Karma: 298350 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Missouri Device: Kindle 3; K4PC; Calibre	Yes, the font size selection screen is accessed by a button on the bottom of the keypad. Unfortunately, the Aa on the button is so small that people who cannot see the default font on the Kindle screen would never be able to read the Aa on the font size button. But how else or how easier could you do it? Catch-22. Perhaps a touch-screen zoom feature would work, but not with eInk screens. Or call your grandkids and ask them to 'fix' it for you.

09-23-2011, 06:59 PM	#160
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,731 Karma: 2197770 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	I convinced my Dad (just turned 70) to buy a Kindle for him and Mum to share. I happened to be visiting when it arrived and Dad was away so I got my Mum into trying it. She is utterly terrified by all electronics (won't even attempt to turn on the main TV because of the complications of input sources and multiple remotes). By the time my Dad got back a few weeks later he had no chance of being allowed to use it and has had to buy another one, so for me it was a big success story. Mum still struggles with it in terms of usage and has to refer to my instructions (which she laminated and tucked in between the Kindle and the cover) but she loves reading on it and always has it in her handbag to go everywhere with her. Since that time a few of their similar generation friends have bought one, but they have been the ones more comfortable with computers. I think if Dad wasn't putting the books on it for her then she would give up on it though (she really has a mental block about learning how to use electronics of any kind). I've had a thread here about selling my DT fiction books, as I have no intention of "going back" for fiction reading as the e-ink Kindle wins hands down for me. One handed reading while gripping for dear life on the London tube, falling asleep every night while reading and not having to spend 5 mins next time re-reading to find what page I was on plus the usual stuff everyone else has mentioned. I am not getting rid of "all" my DT books (things like photography books etc are best in their paper format). I have been reading my technical programming PDFs on my iPad 2, but it is a "meh" experience imho. As convenient as it is compared to a huge heavy stack of books, the screen resolution is not good enough, iBooks sucks, glare is a major problem from office fluorescents, it is way too heavy to hold one handed, etc. I'll try sticking with it a bit longer as I really don't want to go back to buying and lugging around big manuals again. I think the current iPad/tablets are over-rated as a reading device - they have their uses and do other cool things, but having used one for many months now there are a heck of a lot of technical issues before I would recommend one for reading purposes. A work colleague and his wife have around 3,000 paperback/hardback books and coincidentally now that he is a Kindle convert he is looking to dispose of those. While he is 100% sold on ebooks, he has not been able to convince his wife who by the sounds of it predecided before even trying his Kindle that she wouldn't like it. He thinks she just likes destroying the spines of his previously immaculate collection! So he will keep a small subset of his collection for her to read, and the rest he will "lose". A lifetime of books collected being passed on.

09-24-2011, 12:12 AM	#161
Conductor Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Florida Device: Sony PRS-350	I'm a 72 year old newbie to ereaders who was surprised to find how much he enjoyed it, in spite of all the silly typeface quirks and other minor gremlins that will eventually be resolved. BUT, give up hardcovers and paperbacks--No! Too many of my favorite authors are still not available. And many of the older authors' work that is available is priced way higher than the 50 cents or a dollar I'll pay in a thrift store. Times are changing, but in the words of Lawrence Block, "Now is the only time it will ever be."

09-24-2011, 01:39 PM	#165
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	I won't go back to regular books for a few reasons: 1. My eyes are getting old and being able to change font size is useful. 2. I hate clutter and after I've read a book, it becomes clutter to me. But I have this conflicting urge to not get rid of books I like. I can hold onto ebooks without them becoming clutter. 3. It's just smaller and easier to hold than a book, except maybe a paperback, but then I have to go back to #1.