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bundwallahAug 4, 2010
Longevity? Book trumps E-books anyday.
Convenience. E-books. Carrying one reader is lighter than a few paperbacks or one hardcover.
min3matAug 5, 2010
Yeah because information which if backed up properly will last forever will not last as long as a physical paperback?!
bundwallahAug 5, 2010
EZ there champ.
There is thousands of years of proven archiving with paper based data. At best with digital media has about 50 years?
Many companies will still carry paper records as a failsafe in case all digital data is lost. Paper is tangible. 1's and 0's on magnetic media are not. They are as good and as current as the medium they are on.
And with ever changing technology it makes it difficult to retrieve data. Lets say you find an old MFM drive. Just how are you going to get at the data if you do not have the hardware? Find an old book? Just flip the effin pages and voila...data!! ;P
groberts1980Aug 5, 2010
Once the technology that reads the file format becomes obsolete and replaced, the eBook can no longer be read. This argument rages regarding archiving material all the time. 3.5" floppies gave way to CD-ROM's which gave way to whatever. We constantly have to re-archive material to keep up with the times.
aproposeAug 5, 2010
About that longevity thing
Not anymore I have Shakespeares complete works printed in 1880 that is in much better shape than some hardbacks that are less than twenty years old
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
This.
Books nowadays do not last as long as they used to. It's sad.
silverback101Aug 6, 2010
Doesn't this have to do with the type of paper used? Old timey paper if I recall correctly is acid-free (in the sense that it won't crumble or turn all yellow)...while paper books these days are a lot more flimsy and degrade and yellow up in shorter time spans. This is why I go to used bookstores you can usually find nice old books with decent paper to add to my slow but steadily growing library.
namslamAug 4, 2010
it's 2010. have both. read whatever one you feel like. have options!
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
Paper books for the aesthetic feel.
E-books for the convenience.
The end.
silverback101Aug 6, 2010
Gotta agree to the feel of paper books...
orky7Aug 5, 2010
books are aesthetic, sitting on you desk or coffee table. books make certain kind of bond with you because we see them all the time. i am not going to ditch books for e-books but having a digital copy really make searching for something easy.
smogerAug 5, 2010
right, if you buy nice, big, expensive versions of said books. if you have a shelf full of paperbacks.. meh. I'd just call that clutter.
chuckdeesAug 5, 2010
Audio books are my favorite. You can listen to a book while working.
frostekAug 5, 2010
Your work can't involve much mental effort.
If you were digging the garden or something, fine though...
cyberdorkAug 5, 2010
Are you posting this from your truck? Cool!
aliwallaAug 5, 2010
when they have used e-book stores i'll think about it.
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
this is my greatest worry; that one day we'll never get to go to used book stores and stumble across a great find
s0nicfreakAug 5, 2010
Torrent sites
zippy757Aug 5, 2010
Missing key fact: It costs $250+ for good e-book reader, which has a lift span of about 3 to 4 years, plus the cost (minimal) or charging it.
Right now, it's more expensive in the end to use e-books, unless you're a very heavy reader.
I think the answer is, both are good and for different reasons.
Few folks are going to treasure a autographed Kindle.
mike23wAug 5, 2010
the new 6" kindle with wifi only (no 3g) is $140, not $250.
hydrosmakAug 5, 2010
Not sure where you are pulling that life span number but it seems a little made up.
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
You don't absolutely need a reader: Amazon supplies their reader software for a number of devices other than the Kindle that people likely already own for other reasons (computers, smartphones).
Missing in the cost equation, too, is the operating cost of power-hungry data centers.
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
zippy757 - offsetting that cost difference is that fact that you can get all public domain books for free, quite legally and often very nicely formatted. If you're a fan of the classics, it makes very good financial sense to get an e-reader, since you won't have to pay for the books.
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
Agreed. My wife bought me a Kindle as a wedding present and I've only purchased 2 books on it since I got it last May. I've downloaded almost all of my books from feedbooks, so I'm reading things like Arthur Conan Doyle, William Shakespeare, HR Haggard, Alexandre Dumas, etc... It's been great. These are fantastic stories that are worth reading to me, and I don't have to pay for the book. The Kindle has probably already paid for itself in what it would cost me to go into B&N (what I used to do) and just buy the books there.
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
gbarger, I highly recommend manybooks.net - they're always top-notch as far as editing and formatting goes, and they offer their books in 20+ formats, including standards like PDF, plain-text and rich-text as well as several proprietary formats (including Kindle's .azw).
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
That's for the information, I'll check it out!
smogerAug 5, 2010
i just picked up my refurb Kindle for $110.
I don't think there's even ANY e-readers left on the market at $250. None of the major players at least.
Hell,.. we're already seeing $99-$150 Android tablets marketed as e-readers popping up here and there.
valisk61Aug 5, 2010
I wish publishers would include the digital version when I buy a paperback or hardback. I love to collect books, but I'd also like to use an e-reader. I'm buggered if I'm paying twice for the same book.
groberts1980Aug 5, 2010
Agree 100%. I bought a B&N Nook a year ago and have only bought one physical book since then. But I do enjoy a book collection at home on my bookshelves. I would totally buy the physical version always if it came with a download code with Barnes & Noble.
silverback101Aug 6, 2010
Dude...YES. This is what needs to happen!
mrmuttleyAug 5, 2010
I have both a Sony ebook reader with two dozen purchased ebooks on it and two big bookcases full of mostly paperbacak books accumulated over the past quarter century.
The two technologies are not exclusive.
fishman66Aug 5, 2010
Why is that an "Infographic"?? It is a table -- or a simple A/B list -- at best ...
cyberdorkAug 5, 2010
I guess you were not around when digg redefined "infographics".
It used to be fancy graphics which helped conveying certain information. The graphics carried much of the information content.
For most diggers an infographics means information surrounded by somehow related images and graphics.
Just another sign of the slow but steady dumbing down of the world.
fishman66Aug 5, 2010
No -- I know what they are supposed to be.
It just seems like this is a great illustration of a misuse -- I think Edward Tufte (http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/) would not like this ...
There is nothing about this comparison that requires it to be wrapped in graphics (not saying that the design isn't nice to look at).
mburke1124Aug 5, 2010
I like that just reading a book is impressive. How sad is that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvs2g5Nj0NI
Starts at about 45sec.
skeloothAug 5, 2010
That was a mediocre infographic.
wildAug 5, 2010
The whole "easy on the eyes" thing is overblown. Maybe for people over 50 who didn't spend most of their lives reading on screens, but for the rest of us we look at screens all day long. Our eyes are used to it.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
the4thaggieAug 5, 2010
You must be using good monitors if you don't experience significant strain from using them. Being infront of a monitor 8 - 10 hours a day, I can tell you that there is a significant difference between regular business (Dell or otherwise) monitors, professional IPS high ends, and Mac monitors (the current gen of iMac being my favorite. I'm in my early 20's, so the whole "easy on the eyes" thing is not overblown especially if you have less than spectacular eyesight. The Kindle is amazingly crisp and sharp, and I even went so far to go the extra step in converting most of my work related notes to the format so I could read them easier.
Though, to each their own.
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
E-readers use non-luminous screens, so they cause just about the same amount of eye-strain as paper books, with the added benefit of allowing you to change the font size as needed. Reading off an e-reader screen not at all the same thing as reading off a computer screen or iPad - it's actually much closer to reading off a printed page.
the4thaggieAug 5, 2010
I'm not a big reader (except for the occasional Starwars or something). Though, after getting my hand-me-down Kindle 2 (free which was awesome), I've been reading the classics and several free books. It also helps me to keep a binder full of IT notes and documentation at work onto one device (the device easily fitting in my pocket.)
There I was the other day...I had to go to a meeting, but my phone with my calendar died of battery, so I didn't know the exact location in the remote location. Then I felt the Kindle in my pocket. I fired up the "Experimental" web browser, logged into corporate email webclient, opened the calendar, and wallah! Saved my butt. I had enough to time to check facebook.
/cool story bro
smogerAug 5, 2010
can you tell me where you buy pants that you can fit a kindle in the pocket of?
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
Kindle isn't the only ebook reader yet that's all they ever mentioned.
smogerAug 5, 2010
it's an infographic, not a comprehensive history of ebooks
metalstormAug 5, 2010
Well it is kind of lame to list 30 million world wide sales of a hardcover but compare it to the 1 million of only kindle ebook sales.
smogerAug 5, 2010
@metalstorm: you're right.. i didn't think of it that way.
my guess is that they only had the data from kindle since online distribution is always kind of kept in the shadows. the sales of this book were publicly known to be 1mil. , so they probably just ran with it.
..no matter what i dont think there's any chance that there were close to as many e-versions sold as hard copies. and im sure amazon's sales of the book were many times that of any other ebook seller.
kgtheway2bAug 5, 2010
It's the best one though.
immatellyouwhatAug 5, 2010
Certain books I want to buy, read and then throw away; and other books I love and must have a hard copy. I like the kindle and real books together.
ajrahim7Aug 5, 2010
I can easily carry my iPad instead of 3-4 books, but when we start charging $17 for a Stephen King ebook vs. a $12 printed book... I wonder which part of that is due to manufacturing.
krandenAug 5, 2010
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/3/9/
pasmAug 5, 2010
Which one will still work in 100 years? E-readers have their place for a lot of things, but a real book needs no batteries and will work forever (even if it gets a little wet).
s0nicfreakAug 5, 2010
E-books can be backed up and viewed on different devices. Your Kindle 2 may not work 100 years from now, but you will most certainly have a device that can display an e-book (if we're not just somehow sending them directly to our brains).
geauxtig3rsAug 5, 2010
I love books, and have a pretty substantial amount of physical books, but the convenience factor of the kindle just does it for me. I can honestly say that my amount of reading has gone up ever since I got my kindle, and it's likely because of the convenience factor.
I can't exactly throw "The Universe in a Nutshell," for example, in my pocket and whip it out while in a long line at the supermarket. I definitely still love print media, but the kindle has made it so much easier for me to access content that I never would have even glanced at before, especially with the lower cost of books, and the frequent sales.
gneissisniceAug 5, 2010
Maybe I'm the only one, but I vastly prefer reading a physical paper book. Maybe it's because it's easier on the eyes, or maybe I just prefer being able to hold it and turn the pages, but I just like actual books better. Call me old fashioned, I suppose.
jaythewiseAug 5, 2010
I 100% agree. I find kindles tough on my eyes
grabateAug 5, 2010
I've always loved that new book smell.
silverback101Aug 6, 2010
I love the smell of old books. Try heading into a used bookstore it's divine....
pinchduckAug 5, 2010
Books will always be around. It's the distribution channel that will change drastically. Big bookstores may go the way of the dodo. I'll be sad to see them go, I enjoy just walking through the shelves and browsing new and current releases. I'm part of the "problem", though. I've bought a couple of ebooks over the past year, but the vast majority of my reading material comes from my local library.
wolfingAug 5, 2010
ebooks are much more convenient. And should be much cheaper, but the publishing companies are as paranoid as the music industry. It'll take them a while to figure out that selling an ebook for $6 and costs virtually nothing to distribute will make them more money than selling a paperback for $8 and costs them $4 to distribute
smogerAug 5, 2010
i recently picked up a kindle and love it, but i can't always justify the cost of a kindle version if the same book is at the library or just a couple bucks on half.com
on the upside, my library does ebooks and it's super easy to convert them to a format i can read on my kindle. (and yes, i delete them when i finish or when my lending period is up)
4ndr01dAug 5, 2010
I still buy a ton of vinyl
I will still buy books
just author better content
and you will be fine
captapocalypseAug 5, 2010
Neither has to win and I like that. I prefer physical books when I'm in a position where bringing tech with me is unwise, i.e. the beach, etc. My iPad is great for coffee shops, around the house sometimes, and a few other areas. The best case I've found for ebooks is carrying multiple reference books that you can search. That feature is great.
bigbri069Aug 5, 2010
Cost of a library card where I can get almost any book or audiobook - FREE.
unbannedaccountAug 5, 2010
Ditto DVDs. Love you Netflix, but you can't fight free. Blockbuster, you die now.
s0nicfreakAug 5, 2010
I have 100+ books on my Kindle, and the only one I paid for was one that the author gave me a $5 gift card to buy (and the book only cost $3.99). The Kindle itself was a gift, so no cost to me for that either.
m00nflowerAug 5, 2010
Has anyone ever gotton sand in their kindle? I do most of my reading beachside and that is the main reason i havent bought one, I beat up my books.
s0nicfreakAug 5, 2010
You can get a sealed case which protects the Kindle from both sand and water...
m00nflowerAug 5, 2010
O rly
letuescarpeAug 5, 2010
Would this be a debate if we were talking about CDs versus MP3s? Who carries a Discman around with them anymore? The world has already embraced digital media; Kindles have just been too expensive to make people abandon books. Maybe the new $139 version will change that. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
maisis00Aug 5, 2010
I think that's a pretty impressive display even with only Amazon's Kindle related e-book numbers being displayed. There all kinds of e-books and readers that are sold from various vendors other than Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple. Howerever, I would be even more excited to see an industry wide comparison e-books vs. hardcopy (the sales revenue reporting from all e-book retailers). If it looks this good now from only one vendor I cannot wait to see the combined results over the next couple of years. I personnally choose to read e-books on my Nook from Barnes and Noble but I have also read books on both the Kindle, a Windows Mobile phone, an iPhone and my Computers in the past.
Just because I like the conveinence of reading digital though doesn't mean I dislike hardcopies. A lot of times at my house we will end up buying both the digital and hard copies. My wife and daughter still prefer hard copy so if it is a book that we are all going to read. I will buy it digital and then if I make the recommendation for them to read it also they will go pick it up in hard copy. :) It also works in reverse. I also prefer to buy my magazines in hard copy unless I happen to get an online edition to read on my laptop.
maddprofAug 5, 2010
Where ereaders need to be pushed heavily (once color models can be developed): PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Imagine the amount of money our schools can save not having to buy new textbooks year after year and the weight you can save on your future kid's backs from carting books back and forth from school (my high school did away with lockers, which I've seen as becoming a rapid trend).
s0nicfreakAug 5, 2010
Agreed, even without color models. There are already a few schools that are doing Kindle "pilot programs".
I homeschool my kids, and use e-readers to view free text books (and other educational material).
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
The average author royalty is a little skewed. This is probably true for people that allow the publishers to do the work of moving the work to the Kindle as well so they get a cut of the Kindle sales, but if the author takes his own work and pushes it to the kindle for $9.99, they get 70% ($6.99) for each book sold. There was an author on one of the TWiT.tv shows yesterday talking about this. For an author willing to put the book on the kindle themselves (pretty easy process) they get 70%, vs. about 15% of having a real book printed through a publisher. The real book values aren't really negotiable because the author is strong armed by the publisher and doesn't really have much of a choice.
dlan4327Aug 5, 2010
I'm a book man, myself. I've tried Border's Kobo reader (Don't think they ship the Kindle to Sydney) & it is well made & well put together.
Still, I found that while there was no glare, fantastic, the screen did seem a little dark compared to the pages of a book. Both are good options but I'd recommend a book over an e-book reader.
unbannedaccountAug 5, 2010
But if one product isn't a "killer" for another, how will I as a consumer know which is best?
metalstormAug 5, 2010
I wonder how the royalty for a mass market paperback compares. I have heard a number of times that the ebook royalties are pretty bad and that is why some authors are opposed to having an ebook version.
Closed AccountAug 5, 2010
When e-books are significantly cheaper than real books, I'll get a reader. Every time I check Amazon pricing for books, the e-book is only slightly cheaper (<$1 in most cases). What ever happened to the "When the e-book sales go up, the prices will go down." theory of e-books.
johnomazzAug 5, 2010
But devices like the Kindle can also store and be used to read PDF files. You can get subscriptions to newspapers and magazines. the infographic mentioned the carbon footprint of books vs ereaders. Does that include the CO2 produces to cut down trees and make the paper, or just the creation of the book? What about the creation of those inks? IMO, in the long run, the e-reader is better.
The only downside I see with the e-reader is if say amazon goes under. What will happen to the ebooks? I still wish they would let us download the e-book so we could back it up ourselves.
s0nicfreakAug 5, 2010
Have you ever noticed that In movies set in the future, even FAR into the future, we still use books?
pasmAug 5, 2010
But my real book has no DRM and noone can take it back from me without my permission. Likewise I can pass it on to someone else to enjoy without fear that someone might object.
BrockVegas72Aug 5, 2010
The info-graphic is very misleading. They are most certainly presenting the information to fit their agenda.
They failed to account for the massive amount of computers involved in the writing, editing, printing, and distribution. Nor did they mention all of the trucking it takes to get books to the stores or the paper to the mills or even cutting the trees to make the paper to begin with , the "carbon footprint" encompassing the entire traditional book is most certainly higher than the e-book when you look at the entire picture.
nice try though,
hopzAug 5, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
memnochxxAug 5, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
antdudeAug 6, 2010
The smell, the feel, etc. from hardcopy books!
sark666Aug 6, 2010
Ownership is a biggy, but sadly it'll still probably lose in the end.
Can't lend, trade, sell, or give.
alpha_male65Aug 23, 2010
E-books are good for some things but i still like real book for reading. don't need a battery always works won't be obsolete and need to upgrade in a few years