Kindle, etc...

[frisbee]

I am an avid reader and was given a Kindle last July. I would not have purchased it for myself as I thought that I would always read actual books. However, now that I have the Kindle I may never purchase an actual (analog?) book again.

Do you think that ebooks will replace actual books within the next 10 years? Anyone else have the same/different opinion about the Kindle?

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Yes, I think we're at a crossroads in book format not seen since Gutenberg's invention of moveable type.

A revolution, the world is moving on!

Long days and pleasant nights

[cfin5256]

I've been thinking about getting a Kindle for awhile, but didn't know if I could get used to not having an actual book in hand. For those who have a Kindle or experience with; is it easy to get used to, and if so, is it worth the investment?

[Srbo]

No, at least not entirely.

We all thought that CD`s are going to replace LP`s, but LP`s are still being made.
But then again, there are now the i-tunes for download and so on...
Well, I don`t know.
What I do know is that there is way to much technolgy, IMO anyway.

[fushingfeef]

10 years is awfully ambitious. I think that there will always be a market for books, although it may not be as large as it used to be. People still buy vinyl records and CDs even though there is no real need to have physical media for music any more.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

But the flipside is that I can see a rosy future for specialist secondhand bookshops at the expense of the chains.

Long days and pleasant nights

[frisbee]

cfin - I find it easier to use than a book. Consider Under The Dome. It's big and heavy. The Kindle is small and light and you can carry your library with you. As for the initial investment you buy new "hardcover" for between 10 and 15 dollars. So, you will recoup your investment in the $250 Kindle faster or slower depending on how much you read.

[Doc Wilson]

I can't wait to get a kindle and I will after the early-adopter phase has passed.

But no, there will always be a market for paper books.

[cfin5256]

cfin - I find it easier to use than a book. Consider Under The Dome. It's big and heavy. The Kindle is small and light and you can carry your library with you. As for the initial investment you buy new "hardcover" for between 10 and 15 dollars. So, you will recoup your investment in the $250 Kindle faster or slower depending on how much you read.

Thx frisbee. I will probably get one. I do like the idea of being able to carry around my library with me; as it is now it would take me waking up to find out I've become Hercules to do so.

[frisbee]

You're right, Doc, but I wonder what that market will be. My guess is that even colleges will go to larger sized Kindles and students won't have to buy any books in a few years - just download them. IMHO books will be like vinyl records mentioned above - a few will buy them but not very many.