I'm starting to see them everywhere - the Kindle and the Nook - I even actually saw a mother using an iPad with her baby. They're online, in electronic stores, and even at the forefront of chain bookstores. eReaders. They're closing in on me, and the whole corporate world seems determined to make me buy one.
Well, that's too bad, 'cause I don't want one.
At least not right now. I love paper books - the look, the feel, the weight, the smell - and I'll never want to give them up. But eReaders aren't exactly going to go away, and I've accepted that as an unrepentant bibliophile I'll have to get myself one. Some day. The list isn't long, but there are a few things I'll need to have, or be assured of, before I can guiltlessly spend my pay check on one of these contraptions.
Add Comics and Manga. Most of my book-spending money goes towards manga and graphic novels, which sucks since those are also the most expensive books I buy. It would be great to use me eReader to read a book I'm not so invested in I have to own it, but unless it's cutting the costs on the biggest hole I'm throwing my money into, a $200+ device just isn't worth it.
Lower the Prices! I know, the iPad has all those awesome comic apps, and even a couple of manga companies like Digital Manga Publishing and VIZ Media are throwing their stuff on the device. And it's in color! But have you seen how expensive an iPad is? Yikes. That's more than my down payment for grad school. Who can afford that thing? I might not even mind the lack of comics if I could buy an eReader on the cheap.
Convince Me Print Won't Die. This is a big one, actually. I know a lot of people are welcoming the advent of digital in part because it will finally free up that shelf space, but that makes me nervous. I'm a collector, and I'm a little nutty; I like having the actual physical thing that I can look at and touch and feel and smell. I won't mind giving that up for books I don't care as much about, but for the books I love I don't want the privilege of holding the bound up paper to go away. I just need someone to convince that print and digital can get along, and that print doesn't have to die.
Do you guys have an eReader? If not, what will it take to get you to buy one - or will you never cave?
I'm with you on all points. I cannot even fathom owning an eReader. My sister has a kindle and I glare at her if she even turns it on (luckily it was a gift and she doesn't use it much). I just cannot get past my need to have a print source. I'm fine with blogs, apps, wikinotes, being online and accesible for the massses; but to put books onto a harddrive is blasphemy in my 1800's head. I cannot handle the idea of not having a book shelf (that actually holds books and not knick knacks). I feel with you; I need to see my collection; like Gollum protecting his precious. My books are my precious and I cannot accept electronics.
ReplyDeleteIt does however conflict with the earth bound tree hugger in me that wants to save all the trees and the wildlife who need said trees; but I can't help it. Sometimes I'm a hypocrite, and that sometime is showing itself in books. I. Need. Books.
You are much more impassioned about this than I am, I think XD
ReplyDeleteI'm generally so against these things... but every time I step into Barne & Noble and poke around with a Nook, I'm gripped simultaneously with fear and delight at the realization that my owning one of these is an inevitability.
I've had my Kindle for just five days and already couldn't do without it! I've never been fussed by the sight, feel or smell of books, so I won't miss the physical objects. The Kindle isn't suited to colourful, illustrated books, of course, but for novels I find it ideal.
ReplyDeleteThere is really no reason to be AGAINST e-readers. Disliking them as a personal preference is fine, but actually being against the device and judging people for using them is ridiculous. Not that I'm saying you do this but it's a common reaction, usually from people who barely understand them and have never actually seen one in person.
ReplyDeleteI love books. I love to hold them, smell them, have them, share them, to turn the pages and admire the cover art...but I also love my Kindle. The story isn't diminished because it's electronic. Sometimes it can even be improved. I enjoy seeing the "popular highlights" from other users, to figure out what made the quote so special. I like having a dictionary available to look up a word immediately without interrupting my reading, to search for passages I want to go back and re-read, to make notes without defacing pages.
It's also just incredibly convenient. Download books and magazines whenever and wherever you want, particularly those difficult to find ones. Carry around an entire series without looking ridiculous or ruining them. And personally, I'd rather pack the Kindle than that brand new hardcover, especially if I am traveling somewhere. I know people who have their school textbooks and reading material on their e-readers (many classics free to $1). Plus you can read .txt, .docs, and .pdf files.
It's just one more thing to help me enjoy books and it certainly hasn't replaced the "real" thing. I read a lot more now that I have one and that's saying something because I used to read a lot anyway…
And as for print, yes, it is slowly dying. It's sad but don't put all the blame on e-readers. Phone books, newspapers, magazines--the internet and cellphones started replacing these things long before the readers came along.
@Wendy I'm sure when I get my own I won't understand how I ever managed without it, ha ha.
ReplyDelete@Aesa For me it's not really a dislike of ereaders, just a... resistance, I suppose? It's gonna happen, though, I'm honestly just waiting for the comic/manga apps to start popping up more on the Kindle and Nook.
And an ereader would be so good for travelling for me, since I always take all the books I'm reading (I'm usually working on 3 or 4 at a time) plus on I might want to start, and one that would be good to read on the beach... and on and on until I've brought 8 books to an overnight at my parents'. I would also probably read more magazines that way.
As far as taking notes, I wouldn't want to do that digitally; physically scrawling on paper helps my brain think better, it's why I do almost all of my writing in a notebook before typing it, and it includes some side notes in books, too.
Can you transfer .pdf's from your computer to your Kindle? 'Cause that would be awesome for some newsletters I read.
Yes, you can transfer PDFs. I have a few books in that format because they weren't available for the Kindle.
ReplyDeleteNeat.
ReplyDelete