Riding the bus, I see all forms of entertainment for commuters: iPods, newspapers, magazines, books, and now- Kindles. It is still a rare sight to see someone with this expensive electronic reader in tow (starting at $259), but it is definitely becoming more prevalent.
Which leads me to the question: Is Kindle going to cause the death of print books?
Amazon now offers almost every book imaginable in Kindle form with hundreds of thousands of options on its online site. Soon, every book that was ever printed will be available on your handy Kindle. Does that mean people will turn in the printed word for an electronic screen?
Personally, I will read books, REAL books, until I die. I will never replace the weight, smell and feel of the pages of a book for a generic computerized screen. Yes, Kindles may be efficient (as my fiance says). But I agree with a woman I heard on the bus commenting on a fellow commuter's Kindle when she said, "I think I would miss holding a book."
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i'm with you - reading isn't just taking in information, it's an experience. i could never give up the real book smell. the Kindle is a cool idea, just not for me. and i really think there are a lot of people out there who feel the same. the Kindle might increase in popularity, but not completely kill off print books...i hope.
ReplyDeleteYeah, hopefully there's enough of us out there to keep print book around for awhile :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is no replacment for the "feel" of a book resting in your hands. It is like the comfort of having a good friend nearby...there is something foundational about it. Perhaps younger generations will be swayed by portability and utility issues stemming from the fact that it is more a part of the fabric of the computer age to which they belong. But, let's hope not.
ReplyDeleteBooks definitely are like good friends! And also, what's the fun of having everything on a Kindle? That means there'd be no more bright, colorful books to put on bookshelves. And what a shame that'd be..
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