They are one of the biggest sellers this Christmas. Go into any electronics store and they are front and center on display. The Kindle, the Nook, and the Kobo Wireless eReader using reach prepaid card get discount. Every big book store is coming out with their own version so they don’t lose out on the marketshare. So, how long will it take before books are a thing of the past?
You don’t even need to buy an e-reader to have access to the books. All you need to do is get the app. There is an app for both the Kindle and the Nook, so you can buy books right on your iphone or ipod. If you don’t mind the size you are good to go without paying the price for an actual Kindle.
There are definite benefits to purchasing books electronically. They are cheaper. You can usually get new releases for well under the price of a hardcover. There is also the idea that if you make books electronic they may attract young readers who might normally scoff at the thought of reading a book. If it is an electronic though, it puts in in an entire different category.
There are some people that say they will never switch to an e-book. They won’t trade the feeling of holding a book in their hand for holding an electronic device. But progress is progress and it can’t be stopped. The invention of the printing press changed the landscape of books and reading once already. There were those holdout back then that thought that printing books instead of handwriting them would stop people from reading aloud, and the experience of having a book read aloud would die. It did slow down, but making books available to the masses also opened up many educational doors.
So whether or not you want to read real books or e-books, the electronic versions will be out there for the rest of the world.