Why NYC subway riders still read (print) books

[soulfuldog]

I can think of a lot of things I find satisfying, not sure "closing the cover at the end of a book" has ever been one of them.... I may just be a bit weird though.

[tubemonkey]

One of the things I find satisfying when I reach the end of an ebook is how I, with the help of Amazon's predatory pricing, stuck it to the publishers once again.

[Elfwreck]

There are a number of things to consider in the battle between paper and pixel: cost, physical limitations, reading comprehension and interactive capabilities to name a few. Paper prevails in every measure.

Umm... where is she getting paper books cheaper than I'm getting ebooks from Smashwords?

And wow, there are paper books that are more physically convenient than my kobo mini? That contain several million words in less than six ounces, that I can read with one hand while standing on the train and holding on to a bar for balance? That take a tap to turn pages, instead of requiring both hands?

Oh, wait. She's using that new dictionary, isn't she. The one that defines "every" as "some, but probably not too many."

[Alexander Turcic]

I used to ride the NYC subway every day for several years (specifically the 1/9). That was the time before e-books. I did a lot of things on the train; reading wasn't one of them. To me it always felt too cramped, too crowded, to enjoy a good book. Maybe I would have it done differently had I brought an e-book reader with me.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by l_macd

I can think of a lot of things I find satisfying, not sure "closing the cover at the end of a book" has ever been one of them.... I may just be a bit weird though.

I was thinking the same thing when I read the article.
Apache

[Fbone]

I've yet to see an e-ink reader in public. And with all the people that ride the A-C trains I would expect to see at least a few. Lots of people doing things on their phones. I see more people listening to music or reading magazines and newspapers.

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by Fbone

I've yet to see an e-ink reader in public. And with all the people that ride the A-C trains I would expect to see at least a few. Lots of people doing things on their phones. I see more people listening to music or reading magazines and newspapers.

That surprises me. I keep telling my friends here in Europe how amazed I am every time I ride a NYC train and see all the Kindles around me.

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Umm... where is she getting paper books cheaper than I'm getting ebooks from Smashwords?

And wow, there are paper books that are more physically convenient than my kobo mini? That contain several million words in less than six ounces, that I can read with one hand while standing on the train and holding on to a bar for balance? That take a tap to turn pages, instead of requiring both hands?

Oh, wait. She's using that new dictionary, isn't she. The one that defines "every" as "some, but probably not too many."

Hmmmm... Let's see

cost: There is an initial cost for the e-reader itself, but most e-books are cheaper than the paper version. Public domain books are a big win for the e-reader. Paper wins in one area, you can get cheap used books. Let's call it a tie.

physical limitations: Big win for e-books. Thousands of books in a lightweight package.

reading comprehension: A tie at most, probably an edge to the e-reader. The dictionary and adjustable font size are aids in comprehension. Still, we'll call it a tie.

interactive capabilities: Huge win for e-books. Paper isn't interactive. But with e-books I can shop for books without leaving my chair, all I need is Wi-Fi access. The dictionary is a huge win. Reading a paper book and you see a word you don't know? You're out of luck. Maybe you will remember to look it up next time you're near a dictionary. But with an e-book, you can look it up right now.

So, the paper book isn't the clear winner, the e-book has two wins, zero losses and two ties. 2-0-2 isn't bad.

[wodin]

When I see balderdash like "Paper prevails in every measure." I immediately stop reading and move on to something credible.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

That surprises me. I keep telling my friends here in Europe how amazed I am every time I ride a NYC train and see all the Kindles around me.

Perhaps, it's the time of day and those particular riders. I personally would not carry a separate ereader if a phone can manage for the 20 minutes I'm on the train. Plus the standing and jostling are distracting. Smartphones in the last year or so are bigger and feature rich. It is comical watching NYers texting while walking through crowded sidewalks.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by PatNY

LOL, well put. The article otherwise seemed to be well written, so maybe the author just had one of those goof-ups that we all have from time to time.

It's also possible a copyeditor got their hands on it trying to cut down the article to fit the space allotted.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

One of the things I find satisfying when I reach the end of an ebook is how I, with the help of Amazon's predatory pricing, stuck it to the publishers once again.

Monkeys VS Publishers the saga continues....

[Xanthe]

I wouldn't use any type of electronic device while riding the NYC subway. Most times I don't even get a seat, and frankly I'm paying attention to where I'm going and who's around me.

[crich70]

You can gather more ebooks in a short while than you can pbooks. Between what I've bought at regular price and via coupons (both during the July/Winter sale and other times) I have some 2056 ebooks from Smashwords. I wouldn't be able to store all those in pbook format. Nor would I have been able to afford to buy them if not for the coupons during sales if they weren't ebooks (publishers's don't offer pbook copies for free). It will take me a long time to read all of them, but between them and free books at places like MR I can have a large library to choose from. And my collections will all fit on a couple of DVD disks. The same can't be said for pbooks.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Kaitou Ace

As someone who rides the NYC subway on a daily basis, I see a lot more ereaders than paper books...

Which was what the article seemed to say also:

NYC subway riders embrace e-readers for a number of reasons, most notably: portability, accessibility and convenience. Is print dead? Not necessarily. Print doesn't have to become obsolete for digital to flourish; they're different and complementing experiences. Our world is increasingly immersed in technology. Let's hold on to this special treasure for a little while longer. At least until the next stop.