Poll--Is it Time to Replace the Book?

[Dougiezerts]

Hi! I've just joined this forum, and I have a poll question for all of you:
Should the Kindle, and other ereaders, replace book?

[Fran]

I accept there are benefits to the Kindle and ebooks but I don't believe they should or will replace the good old printed version.

I think this has been discussed in detail on another thread.

[StephenKingman]

Theree are several threads on the whole ebook debate but ill let this one in as it has a poll attached.

Personally? The book will long outlive the ebook and Kindle etc. People want to read paper books in the park, at home, on the train etc etc, they like the feel and look of a book, the cover art, the experience of reading a story with no electronic influences whatsoever. There is of course a place for the kindle and many people enjoy then, however the percentage of people who use them , compared to the amount of people who read books, is so miniscule that its practically irrelevant. In fact i would go as far as saying that ebooks are just a fad.

[Dougiezerts]

Sorry, I didn't realize this was discussed before. I only joined today.
I watched with horror through the 80's as the vinyl record was very quickly replaced by the CD. I as completely convinced that corporated greed was responsable for this. Ironically, the record has now come back, to a degree.
I hope the same thing doesn't happen to the book.

[StephenKingman]

Sorry, I didn't realize this was discussed before. I only joined today.

Hey no problem, welcome to the forum by the way, great to have another new member.

I watched with horror through the 80's as the vinyl record was very quickly replaced by the CD. I as completely convinced that corporated greed was responsable for this. Ironically, the record has now come back, to a degree.
I hope the same thing doesn't happen to the book.

It wont im sure of it. With films and music, technology will always dictate the speed and quality of the finished product, hence how vinyl evolved to cd to mp3 and how movies went from VHS to Blu Ray, but with books you cant 'speed up' the experience, it is totally dependent on the person and the book, its a personal experience and hence cannot be controlled which strengthens my belief that reading will never fade away. Sure, you can look at some electronic words on a screen which may pass itself off as a book but for me its not the same at all.

[tigeropig]

I accept there are benefits to the Kindle and ebooks but I don't believe they should or will replace the good old printed version.

I agree with Fran

[Browsers]

technology will always dictate the speed and quality of the finished product, hence how vinyl evolved to cd to mp3

Ironically, serious music lovers have always thought that analog equipment (both recording & playback) are superior to digital. I always assumed that the music recording technology was improving, also, but learned a while ago that the quality of an MP3 is good if you listen to one type of music: pop. But if you listen to complex jazz or classical, the quality deteriorates. CDs are way better than MP3s, but still lack the depth that vinyl has.

Perhaps it will be the same for electronic text files. After all, the appearance of cheap pulp paper allowed publishers to come up with "penny dreadfuls" and "dime novels' (most of which are horrible). Perhaps the same sort of thing will happen with electronic texts--already we're seeing an explosion of "self-published" (read: unedited & mostly unpublishable) ebooks. Who knows what awful writing future e-readers will be subjected to? (Of course, it can't be much worse than the stupid stuff people put on their Facebook or Twitter profiles ha ha!)

But the ability to sell something without actually producing anything looks very attractive on paper. In reality, however, musicians aren't making money unless they're touring, music stores are all but closed. Will books follow the same pattern? I for one, vote "no."

The honeymoon for the Kindle is over, and I suspect Amazon will stop manufacturing them in a few years, and just promote their Kindle app for the iPhone or iPad. No one really wants to spend a hundred+ bucks just to pay too much for an electronic file that they can't sell when they're done with it. It was a fun little toy, but already a Scrabble game is a best-selling product in the Kindle store.

Serious readers want a book. And the superiority of books over electronic files is not even questioned by the ebook manufacturers.

[Lennoc]

Allow me to be the voice of dissent.

I love books. Love the feeling of them in my hands. Love being able to share them with friends. Love how my old favourites show the wear and tear of years of being read and reread.

But, if I had to make a prediction I'd say in 100 years paper books will be curiosities.

I agree that e-readers like the kindle probably won't be around forever. I thought about getting one but went for an iPhone instead because I can get books on it but it does a whole lot more. I foresee more and more use for devices that have multiple uses. Look at all the things you can currently do on a phone to get the idea. My phone plays music, allows me to read books, lets me send emails, play stupid games, take photos... the list goes on. It may not do each of those tasks as well as a device which has only one purpose but it can't be beaten for convenience.

I don't think paper books are going to disappear any time soon (although I suspect paper newspapers might) but I do think they will eventually be replaced. As people downsize their living spaces (a trend already being seen in many Western cities) and devices become more and more user friendly I think that people will trade the positive aspects of books in for the convenience of electronic text. Just like they are trading in their CDs (with cover art, the ability to be shared...some of the same advantages as mentioned for books) for the simplicity of downloading from iTunes.

[JRBookLover]

I love the touch and feel of a book - we are tactile beings. EReaders are cold and hard yet they do offer some practicallity - 1000 books or more taking up the space of 1 book. I have read that books due to the inavailablity of paper will likely be a thing of the past for the next generation. The likelihood is that our children's children (in some 20 years or so) may find our house fascinating, a whole room filled with books with "paper pages". But for the time being I vote for the feel of a well loved, well worn book. They are much more forgiving if you spill coffee on it or accidently drop it in the bath! They are also nurturing and comforting in a way eReaders will never be.

[Mairin]

Yes they are a growing trend, but I personally can never replace actual books. Nothing can compare to the turning of pages and holding an actual book in my hands.

[Fran]

Yes they are a growing trend, but I personally can never replace actual books. Nothing can compare to the turning of pages and holding an actual book in my hands.

I think the printed book is a bit like the bicycle .... you can tinker around with it but you can't actually improve on the original design.

[Edana]

I don't believe ebooks should eventually replace authentic books. However, I do have one due to necessity. Not everyone can have a dream house with one room devoted to just books and as such an ereader device allows me the luxury of continuing to buy books with space no longer being an issue. The books which I consider 'keepers' I buy in paper or hardback, others are stored on the ereader.

[B-fly]

I'm happy to see that nobody has voted for replacing the book

[Slipstream]

While I do agree that books shouldn't be replaced, think of all the other advancement that people rejected and became the norm.

Everyone wanted to keep records but CD's came along, everyone wanted to keep VHS when DVD's came out. No one wanted blu ray in the beginning and now it's the norm. When HD TV's game out people didn't even understand them, now everyone has 1 or 2 at least.

Not to say e-reading will follow this trend but every advancement is always met with distaste in the beginning. What's next? Electric cars, 3D TV's? who knows.

[dansgoldilocks]

I don't think good, old fashioned paper books can ever be replaced by an electronic version. I have a laptop, and I will admit that I can take it anywhere and so I could read an electronic book wherever. But there's something about holding the book, it's smaller size, the turning of the pages that I prefer. And of course, with a book, there's no concern over losing your spot, losing power, anything else like that.

I think Kindle and ebooks are fine, and I would even use them on occasion, but I still prefer a regular book.

Not to mention the eyestrain that could come from the electronic aspect.