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Why e-books are bound to fail

computerworld.com — E-books, those flat electronic tablets designed for reading downloadable, software-based books, are often packed with advanced displays and other leading-edge technology.

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  • robbiedo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+110I completely disagree with the article on two accounts. One the author conflates the ebook failure with ebook reader failure. The two are not the same.

    First, no one has created the a desirable ebook reader. Sony is getting closer with the newest one, but it isn't color, and there is no back light.

    I use my Dell Axim x51v primarily as an ebook reader. I have read hundreds of books on it. I like holding it one hand; I don't have to bend the spine to keep it open without holding it. I don't get food stains on the pages when reading and eating. The screen is very high resolution. I can read it in the dark. It is more comfortable to read on the Axim than it is most books, especially paperbacks.Who likes the paper and print quality of the basic mass market paperback?

    My second issue with the author is ebooks. The problem with commercial ebooks is availability, price, and lack of a standard multi platform format. Personally, I think Mobipocket is the best, the desktop application will allow you to convert just about any document into a quality ebook. Unfortunately, the Mobipocket store does not have a particularly wide selection of ebook, and the price for back catalog ebooks is ridiculous.

    Frankly, I think the publishers prefer that ebooks do fail, it cuts down on the potential for piracy. Look what happened to the record industry.

    Unfortunately, the only way to get a good library of ebooks is through illegitimate channels. I own most of the ebooks in hard copy, so the legality of what is on my Axim causes me minimal concern
    • DarkYang, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16I also do not agree with the article for the same reasons as robbie, I read ebooks (which unfortunately I got illegally, but I do have the actual hardcopy versions of the books) on my Toshiba Pocket PC e355. Reading it on there makes it easier to read my books, I don't have to lug around my huge, 800 page books, and if I finish one when I'm away from home, I don't have to wait to get home to get the next one.

      However, between PDF and the Microsoft Reader format (.lit), I find the .lit files easier to read. The pages go together very nicely and the book is not limited by pages, as it doesn't really have pages... Each chapter of the books are just put together so that no matter what text size you read it at, it just adjusts the amount of pages. Also, the .lit files are a lot smaller (in my experience) than the PDF files.

      I will admit however, that at times, I much prefer to sit down and read an actual paper book instead of reading it on my PDA.
    • KMye, on 10/12/2007, -0/+41I think e-book readers will start to put a serious dent in market when they're essentially a sheet of flexible, touch-sensitive electronic paper paper, probably with a wireless web browser integrated as well...
    • JCSaint, on 10/12/2007, -9/+8robbiedo,

      You make a lot of good points but I have to agree with the author on at what I think is the most important. Do people want this? I like having my physical books. I like how they sit on my shelf and feel in my hands. I don't think I'd ever want an ebook reader unless it was crazy cheap and I used it to download that days newspaper (though I like the tactile feel of a newspaper also) or some free books and manuals.
    • Jrr6415sun, on 10/12/2007, -1/+59No matter what the disadvantages are... I would love to see a world where I can carry around one small, light ebook instead of three ***** huge text books to all my classes. Apple needs to do what they did to the music industry, to books.
    • djlosch, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11and no dumbass is going to pay for some $200+ ebook reader that is gimped by drm. a drm'd ebook costs virtually the same as the actual book but you can never sell it, lend it, or give it away. some ebook formats even prohibit the number of pages you can print in a day.

      while i think the pdf format is rather crappy for ebooks (ever look at a pdf on a PDA? it's either too small or requires way too much scrolling) and html is better, there should be some html-ebook specs that only allow a few tags (img, a name/href, strong, h1, h2, h3, i, p, br) and embeds images into the file. as it stands, ascii and html are pretty much the only ways to go for pda usage.
    • goodoldharris, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9It may not happen for a long long time, but eventually e-books will displace paper books entirely, or almost entirely. When they do, they won't be anything today's e-books at all. They will have all sorts of advantages over paper books. Advantages that nobody has dreamed up yet. The writer is thinking very short term in assuming that the flaws of today's e-book technology won't be solved. If he said "E-books won't replace paper books in the near future", he'd have a point.
    • coresnake, on 10/12/2007, -5/+39"Likewise, do people want to "curl up" with a battery-operated plastic screen?

      The obvious answer is no."



      speak for yourself oldman :p
    • qwertydvorak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@ jrr6415sun: i have to agree with you there, and if they are smart, they will start with the academic books market. just like you said, it would be nice to take that to class instead of bulky books. with the high cost of college textbooks, it would easier justify the cost of the reader device. just like anything else, once you start using it at a younger age for your reading purposes, you will carry the habit on throughout life.
    • edzieba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6When will ebooks overtake real books? When you can:
      View them on a dedicated (and cheap) reader or a normal PC or even on a phone (why a phone? People love to do inconveniant stuff on their phones. Sure the screen is tiny, but that doesn't stop millions of people buying incredibly expensive phones to play tiny videos or act as awkward PDAs)
      Buy an ebook, and use it wherever you want. This means; A standard and open format, and no DRM.
      Buy ebooks in parallel with (or before) dead-tree editions.
    • GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I love being able to hold whole libraries on my laptop. When programming it's nice to know I have books available on nearly every language and technology imaginable. My father works as service manager for a company supplying excavators and they used to have vans full of nothing but huge technical manuals, now they just take a laptop.

      There is a false dichotomy surrounding the argument. The best solution isn't ebooks or dead trees, the best solution is both. I still have all my favourite books in dead tree format but there are uses cases where ebooks are more practical.

      We will see ebooks expand but the normal book will always exist.
    • saralk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The same "people like having a tangible thing to hold" arguments were used when online music stores started, but now things are starting to change, so who's to say it wont happen for books?
    • Hamletlere, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19@edzieba+ 1 digg

      "When will ebooks overtake real books? When you can:
      View them on a dedicated (and cheap) reader or a normal PC or even on a phone (why a phone? People love to do inconveniant stuff on their phones. Sure the screen is tiny, but that doesn't stop millions of people buying incredibly expensive phones to play tiny videos or act as awkward PDAs)
      Buy an ebook, and use it wherever you want. This means; A standard and open format, and no DRM.
      Buy ebooks in parallel with (or before) dead-tree editions."

      These eBooks exist. I am an avid SciFi and Fantasy reader, and for the past four or five years, I have exclusively bought eBooks from the publisher Baen. Their eBooks are:

      1. Non-DRM'ed.
      2. Cheaper than paperbacks ($4-$6, depending on the newness of the book)
      3. Available in just about any format (MobiPocket, MS LIT, RTF, HTML, etc.)
      4. Redownloadable if you lose it.
      5. Request that you treat the eBook as you would a paper book... if you give it away, delete your copy.

      They also have an excellent free library (http://www.baen.com/library) where you can download books they publish for free. This is usually the first few books in a series, and used to promote new authors and to get people interested in existing series. I also bought a hardback book (8th in a series) from them, and it came with a CD including every other book in the series in eBook formats, plus a goodly selection of other eBooks.

      They are also, as far as I know, one of the ONLY publishers to make a profit on eBooks. All in all, I now own about 150 eBooks, and every single one of them is published by Baen. They've been the only books I've bought in the past 5 years or so (with a couple of minor impulse-purchase exceptions). Looks like it's working out for them.

      As you might have noticed, I have become an *extremely* loyal customer of theirs, because in my opinion they treat me right, and I love their attitude.

      Additionally, they have a SciFi/Fantasy eMagazine they publish every couple of months, giving new authors a place to show what they can do. Some of the stories have been hit-or-miss for me, but I found a lot of new authors I like through this method, and am looking forward to novels coming out of them.
    • TexanPsycho, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14@robbiedo:
      "I like holding it one hand;"

      What books do you read?
    • autodata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3For probably about 10 years I've been printing up articles from online to read on the train or at lunch and it's such a colossal waste of paper. I desperately want a suitable reader to put html, text docs or pdfs on.
    • RudMan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I agree 100%. I would love to have a decent inexpensive ($99) ebook reader. I have stacks and stacks of computer books and if I could get them in ebook format, I could store them all in one "book".

      Another huge advantage is the ability to search. Screw the index, just give me full text search.
    • KibibyteBrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@robbiedo Ebooks threaten publishers a million times more than digital music threatens labels. Most bands do not have the skill or means to produce their own recordings or market them. Authors, however, could just type up their books, submit them to an iTunes like service, and call it a day. And we all know from internet establishments like podcasts and newegg that products put in an easy to search and organize database with user comments market themselves. No need for traditional publishers.
    • Hamletlere, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@kibibytebrain

      I don't think you understand what all a publisher does for an author. Not being an author or in the industry at all, I don't know what all they do either. But I do know they do the following:

      1. Edit raw works from the author (stories usually need to be cut down from their original... tightened up while removing the superfluous stuff).
      2. Proofreading (I'm sorry... spell checking is NOT enough). I've tried to proofread enough of the technical documents I've written to know I often read what I MEANT to write, not necessarily what I DID write.
      3. Publication (eBooks alone aren't enough to make a living. I admit I'm one of the few that loves eBooks... many readers prefer physical books, though). This means the printing process, and more importantly getting shelf space for the work.

      Yes, the author *could* handle some of these items themselves. But probably not as efficiently or cheaply, and it would certainly take up a lot more of the authors time. If I wrote books professionally, I wouldn't want to do this crap.
    • Skeuomorph, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15I recently bought the Sony Reader, and have a read a dozen fiction and half a dozen non-fiction titles on it in the past month.

      I'm a bound paper traditionalist (or thought I was), with my own personal library of several thousand books. I read extremely quickly; it takes me about an hour to read a typical bestseller. I fly a lot; and taking enough books to keep me busy uses up too much volume in my carry-on. And it's hard to turn paper pages when standing in line dragging a carry-on with the other hand.

      Sony Reader fixed all these problems. The form factor is smaller and lighter than most bestsellers. Even without a memory card, it carries a hundred books. Page turning is ergo-easy with the same hand that's holding the book. Battery life is shockingly good -- on my last trip, four novels in four days took less than 1/4 of the battery.

      Reading is a pleasure after you get past the "it's not a book" mentality, and that took me about halfway through the first novel. From that point on, I could read as fast with this as with paper. The contrast is fine, the resolution as good as newsprint, and I haven't seen a single bestseller on the airport racks that needs "color" so I'm not sure why that would be an issue.

      I also enjoy many of the other UI touches, like reading history, bookmarks that "fold down" the top right corner of the page, one handed control of everything I need, the slimness to fit in pocket of laptop bag or carry-on, and even the brushed suede or red leather custom covers that give it a more old world tactile look and feel when carry it around or holding it in your hand. Feels like a bound bible, just thinner and lighter.

      The only negative is that the Sony Connect store selling their proprietary format wants "hardback" prices for e-books. Buying the specials or collections gets around this, but the selection is limited. So, I guess it's a good thing it also handles .rtf, .doc, .pdf, .txt, and several audio formats (txt, lrf [and lrx], pdf, rtf, bmp, gif, jpg, png, mp3, and aac) in case you want to listen to audio books. It even has a landscape mode to make viewing full 8.5x11 PDFs easy.

      Long story short, I thought I'd hate this, but was compelled to try it because of the inconveniences of traveling with a half dozen paperbacks. In less than a month, I'm sold, and far prefer to carry this around with me. Sure, it's early technology, but it already challenges all my assumptions.

      One last note: another comment said, "You don't want to curl up with an e-book." I'd have thought the same, but I've changed my mind. The speed and ease of reading is the same, but this is *more* comfortable since it only requires a single hand. Paperbacks take two hands, and that's less comfortable when you're trying to fall asleep.
    • compaqdrew, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I also completely disagree with the author. The author employs a wide range of logical fallacies, everything from equating ebook advocates with 1950s fortune-tellers to his main argument, which is "people like real books better" (not making this up).

      This is all codswollop. Sure, ebooks will be slow in coming because of the format wars (heck, mp3 players are finally getting their non-DRM act together) and the younger generation is less passionate about Mark Twain than the newest Nine Inch Nails album. Sure, ebook readers are expensive, and sure, you only save $1.25 buying an ebook as opposed to a paper copy (if even that). But give it five years. The free market has a tendency to sort these things out. After Apple conquers music and movies, surely the restless engineers that gave us AAC and h.2whatever and DIVX can figure out a way to display ASCII text.
    • Haplo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"I use my Dell Axim x51v "

      Same here, mostly pdf, see http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2007/01/11/-reading-pdf-files-on-pda-pocket-xpdf.html .

      However, despite the high resolution of the x51v I still am not happy with reading books or documentation on it. The lowest brightness setting of the Axim (well, there is one lower setting but that's unworkable) is still to bright to me. The screen is too small and the buttons are to heavy (for next page / previous page).
    • hackmyballs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5When Apple creates a beautiful reader and eBooks are sold on iTunes for 99cts.

      ktxby
    • shanealeslie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I've spent about $50 (Canadian) on two old Palm IIIX/IIXE's in the past two years - and just drop .txt files onto it using Dropbook. My 'e-book' library is now over 3 gigs worth of free/CC/open source literature and digital copies of 'dead tree' books that I own. Spending a bunch of money for hi-rez, colour, DRM'd ebooks and readers is ludicrous! I plan on snapping up these old pdas whenever I see them so I'll always have a couple around the house in years to come - and as time goes by they will only get better (higher capacity, better screens). I only wish I could find a tiny dynamo that I could hook up in parallel with the rechargeable batteries so I could run them by hand power, using only the battery for data retention when Idle.
    • judolphin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's of course fine that you prefer ebooks. I used to be a teacher, and I loved having books on CD for convenience purposes. But regardless, there are still some reasons that it's more convenient to use the textbook. For example, it's easier on the eyes, and it's easier to flip back and forth between pages for quick reference.

      But I still think the gist of the article is right: ebooks have failed to catch on, and his reasons are spot on: (a.) high prices, and (b.) it's not a book, it's a computer screen. Most people who read as a hobby, simply want to "curl up and read a book," just as the author said. Digg users are more technology-driven than most, and it's my opinion that we don't represent the majorty on this issue.

      Case in point: according to the International Digital Publishing Forum, all ebooks combined sold $11,875,783 in 2005.

      In contrast, the best selling traditional book of 2005, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold over $12,000,000 in one day (over four million copies at $29.95 apiece). So, *one book* on *one day* outsold the entire combined e-book industry for an entire year. You can Google both facts I presented here to verify.

      Preferring ebooks is fine, but the author makes some good points. Ebooks aren't going away, and there are some advantages; most people just won't buy them right now.
  • newstart, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18I also do not agree with this article. I have about hundreds of research papers in pdf format that I need to read. I tried reading them using a desktop, then a laptop then finally a tablet pc. But all of these devices just made my eyes really tired and weak.

    This problem just made me appreciate the good old paper books. But its not practical for me to print hundreds of pdfs. Thats why I am looking out for a really good ebook reader. Sony Reader with its e-ink technology is a step in the right direction. But it is expensive and does not support color. So any company out there listening to me? If your product is right you can invade this space like Apple did with iPod in the MP3 Player market
    • dusanmal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Same situation with me and if any of manufacturers read this (they should) I find two important advantages that need to be incorporated: size (and resolution with it) and color. I find iRexiLiad much better sized for scientific papers in PDF (about third larger than Sony eBook). In other aspects industry is right on target. Both eBook and iLiad that I have seen are orders of magnitude easier to read for long times vs. typical computer screen and that's why I see it in my near future. Another problem that I hope will dissappear on its own (evolution-like) are proprietary formats and clumsy drm attempts.
    • refux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I also want a good ebook reader for reading academic papers.

      The sony reader has a huge problem, its the wrong size! PDF's are (currently) designed to be just one size, so a PDF viewed on the sony reader will just be way too small. To get an aceademic paper readable on the sony reader, you actually have to (using a 3rdparty tool) convert the original PDF to new size for optimal for viewing on the reader.
      Adobe are working on what they call 'reflow' support, to help PDF's adjust to different screen sizes, but for now, there is no easy fix for the sony reader.

      For reading academic papers, the closest thing is probably the iLiad, simply because the iLiad has a much bigger screen. However it has plenty of its own problems, one of the most significant being price.
    • vlurk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2A very promising product featuring Fujitsu "Electronic Paper" technology was diplayed at the last CEATEC: it's pretty much like Sony e-Ink except that it does have colors. Link: http://www.akihabaranews.com/fr/news-12521-CEATEC+-+Fujitsu+Electronic+Paper+e-book+reader.html Oh, and it is touch sensitive also. ;)

      I read somehwere that the product has been released in Japan, although very expensive at the time being: http://blogs.pcworld.com/digitalworld/archives/2007/04/black_white_ebo.html

      It might be the product that geeks like us are waiting for. As it runs Windows CE 5.0, compatibility with a lot of ebook formats is already assured. Oh, and this thing has a wifi adapter too: it will probably replace cheap (not powerfull) tablet pcs very well. But who cares: most of us already own a powerfull laptop. ;)

    • addicted68098, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is probably pure speculation but I heard Amazon is making an E-Ink Reader.

      But I would really like to get an e-ink reader.
      Not only that but e-ink is like reader off of paper, so eyes won't become tired from looking at a front lit devices.

      It would also be nice to be able to carry an entire library on a memory stick
  • randovaro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I think the XO, or at least the screen technology used in the XO, is really poised to be a great e-book reader. And not just for children in the developing world. I mean for everyone. The XO really ticks all the boxes for what we want in an e-book reader: It's small, portable, cheap, robust, doesn't use a lot of power and is sunlight-readable.

    http://www.laptop.org/laptop/hardware/highlights.shtml

    I want one!
    • edzieba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The resolution is too low, the power consumption is too high, and the sunlight readability is too poor. Never mind the fact that it's incredibly bulky.
    • chesss, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0@edzieba e-ink gadgets, like sony ebook reader are 'meant' to be read in sunlight!
      Got to www.mobileread.com for pictures.
  • torched, on 10/12/2007, -10/+0Ipod/Iphone + audio book will kill the standalone ebook readers :)
    • GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5No audio leaves much implicitly which is no good for a lot of tasks.
  • tinker123, on 10/12/2007, -12/+5Nice things about a real book
    - can be made from renewable, recyclable, earth friendly materials
    - can be made very cheaply
    - can be reread, loaned, and given away without the threat of someone cutting off access
    - can be dropped off of sky scraper and through all sorts of other predicaments and still be read
    - requires no electricity to operate, none at all to use if you read it in the afternoon with sunlight

    Necessity is the mother of invention. Paper books have so many advantages over e-books that it is fair to conclude that there is no necessity for their invention, no problems to solve save for saving library space and more libraries can always be built. People are trying to make e-books to make people pay more and get less for what they are already getting.

    • rompom7, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15Nice things about an electronic book
      - does not need to be made from any materials.
      - can be made even cheaper, because the printing process is just cut out of the equation (no inks, paper or printing process).
      - can be reread, copied (you don't need to part with the book to give it to someone else), given away (just delete after copying).
      - can't actually be dropped, no matter how hard you try (you can't drop an electronic file).
      - requires electricity to read, but less than an incandescent bulb (which you would use to read a real book) if you are using a blackberry or laptop, no matter what time of day.
    • proghead, on 10/12/2007, -7/+6uh too bad you CAN drop an e-book, and the result is not pretty...

      (Book)

      *whump*
      - whoops, clumsy me!
      *picks back up, continues reading*

      (e-Book)

      *SMASH*
      - AAAAAAHHHH! MY 300-DOLLAR E-READER!!!!! AAAAAHHHHH!
      *carefully picks up the shards and sadly tries (and fails) to return it*
    • autodata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7One huge problem for paper books: extremely low data storage. I'm a voracious reader whose entire career has been spent working in libraries and I'm beyond sick of needing to lug around multiple volumes, in some cases huge volumes, just for information that would sit in electronic form in my pocket along with an entire library of other ebooks. Compare taking just a paper version of the huge Programming Perl, which barely fits in my bag on its own, with the possibility of taking the entire O'Reilly library in your jacket pocket.
    • Bamborzled, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@proghead

      That's the eBook reader. And It's not like they can perhaps make the reader... more durable? What an amazing concept!
  • fareed, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12|-- Distribution is easier with e-books - You get the book you want in matter of minutes no matter where you are.
    |-- Production is cheaper with e-books - no need to buy huge printers or raw material and no need for machine operators.
    |----- Production is environmentally friendly - No air polluting trucks driving around delivering books to each and every bookstore, and the trees remain untouched.
    |-- Use is more versatile - Read it on your laptop, PDA or tablet PC. Print the whole book if you want, or print just a segment of the book.
    • ElbridgeGerry, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14|-@fareed
      |--Why do you write your comments
      |---with this weird
      |----line thing
      |-----to the left?
      |------Just wondering.
      |-------Cheers.
  • kenvsryu, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16E-books aren't bound.
  • benitojuarez, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Ebooks work fine on a Palm Tungsten T3 or my nds slot 2 flash card.
  • lhnz, on 10/12/2007, -11/+2I hope they fail. It takes somebody years to write a good book, they definitely wouldn't much if it was just going to be pirated.
    • williamdyer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9We're all relieved to know you won't be writing books.
  • doshindude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5they need to make more ebooks available....currently I don't really see any I'd want to read.
  • roberri, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I believe a major reason e-Books haven't taken off are the multiple, incompatible DRM-schemes used by vendors: You can buy an e-Book and there's no guarantee that it will work on your Reader.

    • williamdyer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Books that phone home and rat you out. No duh that will fail.
  • airwalkery2k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If they didn't cost $200 for those new paper-like material eBooks, I would in fact be interested. There are a variety of applications that may intrigue people. I want to download open domain books, fan-translated uncensored manga that I already own in its crappier version, and then I could buy a few independently-made books.

    I think eBooks would be great for the independent author trying to escape from the publishing industry. (Which may become the new RIAA/MPAA?!)
  • hausome, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2If the education system utilizes these bad boys, maybe I won't have to spend hundreds on my god damn school text books anymore...they'd make serious bank off selling these suckers
  • Acronym, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1The very same thing was said about the computermouse when it was just out "bound to fail..."
    In the end we'll just have to wait and see....
  • Bidofthis, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0Didn't bother to read this article, but WILL bother to post:

    eBooks will will eclipse paper books as soon as display technology is revolutionized.
    That is once displays/monitors have the clarity of the paper book.
    My pie in the sky estimation of when this will happen: 12 years

    That ebooks will fail is just laughable.
    • vanker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Have you seen e-ink? It looks exactly like text on paper. We're there, but we just need better ergonomics on the next Sony Reader. I absolutely love mine, but it's not a perfect device. It needs to be cheaper with better locations for the page turn buttons.
    • rideagain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@vanker: well, I think we also need a bit faster update times; but you're right, we're very nearly there. I think it's terribly short-sighted to say that eBooks can "never" succeed. They have some advantages that paper books will never have (capacity, bookmarks, and my favorite: search). They still have a lot of room to improve, whereas paper books.. well.. they haven't changed much in a long time.
  • turrican, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4e-books won't fail, and probably will probably become the preferred method of reading. The technology just hasn't worked itself out yet.

    However, real books will likely never completely go away, either.
  • pvillegeek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1E-books allow anyone with a computer and a good idea to publish their own books, cutting out the established publishing industry. Michael McCollum is already doing this at: www.scifi-az.com (as mentioned on security now!) This is why e-books will succeed and why the publishing industry should be scared!
    • optigon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Anybody can publish their own books. It's just a matter of finding a means. At Lulu.com, you can publish your own book pretty cheaply and, if you want, distribute PDFs of your book for those who prefer eBooks.
  • glomph, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3screens however i find hurt my eyes after a time. is their a solution to this i missed?
    • vanker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Go to a sonystyle or borders store and hunt down the Sony Reader. The e-ink screen looks exactly like text on paper and causes no eye strain. It's a bit too expensive right now (at $350) but the screen is just incredible. I love mine.
    • Smills, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yes, ebooks use a different type of display that is similar on your eyes to looking at a book. Not that books don't hurt your eyes after a while.
  • galaxym100, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I use an old Fujitsu 3500 tablet PC to read e-books. But I prefer to use my laptop or my desktop for serious study. In my opinion, two things need to happen.
    Reduced Cost ---- $100.00 or lower is a good starting range.
    Improved Human Interface --- It needs to "feel" like a book. Do the same "tricks" a book does. Like lay flat or form a "V" in your lap.

    The Sony ebook is a good start in the right direction --- just way too expensive for what it can do compare to other gadgets.

    After seeing my son's book costs in college, I see another reason for the ebooks failure ---- reduced publisher profit. Once something is reduced to an electronic form forget about controling it.
    • vanker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm not sure how it'd work with textbooks, but at least on the Sony eConnect store, novels are only at about 75% of the paper book price. The publishers still have at least the same profit margins figuring that the 25% reduction has to at least account for the lack of manufacturing and distribution.
    • optigon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I agree with the textbook thing. eTextbooks really need to happen in the near future. Especially since colleges are getting more integrated with computers and the internet, having it all on a computer screen would be incredibly handy.

      (I really wished for this in a Medical Insurance Coding class I took, where I had a Textbook, Online lesson slide things I was required to read that referred to the three physical books there, then two coding books all open to simply do assignments for each class.)
  • kuukie, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Blablabla, exactly the same was said 10 years ago about MP3s. Now look how everyone and their uncle are running around with iPods.

    All this 'ebooks will fail' elitist jabbering is ridiculous and only displays irrational technophobia that's trying to hinder things like the OLPC and similar projects.

    Just look at what happened to the Britannica since Wikipedia came along. Exactly the same will happen to books in general once Google scans everything and dumps it online. Who's actually going to buy truckloads of dead trees when you can have all the worlds books, music, movies etc in a nice little 12" package? I guess either high bandwidth on-demand services or the ongoing increase of harddrive capacity will make this possible quite soon.
  • cambrown99, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Are bound to fail? They already have failed for many years now. It's not going to happen.
  • metmerc, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I have to agree with the article based on that most people don't want this. I don't think e-books will fail, but I certainly don't think they will surpass paper books anytime soon. I've read a couple books on my PDA, but it just not the same as a book. To quote Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "It's the smell." One of the things I like about books is the escape from technology.
    Who knows, maybe the next generation...kids who can't remember a time without computers will feel comfortable reading exclusively off of a screen, but I don't see that anytime soon.
    • ScrabbyDoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2are you not using mp3s or CDs because you'll miss the smell of vinyl discs or cassette tape? I don't know about you, I buy books to read them, not smell them.
  • AmunRa666, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I dissagree entirely, as a student and constent researcher, I have found ebooks to be a great time saver. many times I have needed a book which may have only been published in another country and not avabile to me here, I have found many publishers putting online versions of their texts for the a high precentage cut to cost compared to the paper one.

    As previously mentioned there seems to be confusion between Ebooks and ebook readers. this article is buried as an innaccurate protrail of the impact ebooks not Ereaders have on many.
  • rushiku, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"The End"

    Since when do 8 year olds write articles for Computer World?
  • cracell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I like digital books...and I don't, though I haven't tried them on a light device.

    But whenever I get tech books especially (Like for coding or whatever) I also download the ebook(pdf usually), using ctrl-f over turning to the back pages of a book only to find what you are looking for is not in the index though you know it's somewhere in the book.
  • Kyderdog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3SCREW EBOOKS
    Audio Books is where its at.

    I can listen to them anywhere including while I am working..
    It takes too much time to "read"
    • proghead, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1ever read Feed?
      how about Fahrenheit 451?
      1984 ring any bells?

      reading is too hard.... you little bitch....
    • cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@proghead,
      Reading is fundamental... You are a jerk...
    • rideagain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"it takes too much time to read"? I don't know how old you are, but I can read much faster than I can listen - and I suspect I'm not the only one.
  • socraticchrist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+61) The hardware costs "hundreds of dollars" (or $20 on craigslist for an old pda, or $100 from ebookwise, or...)
    2) eBooks are only a little cheaper (so is an album at the ITMS)
    3) Alternate ebook technology exists like laptops, pdas, etc (begging the question/circular argument)

    This whole thing is a straw-man.
  • inlove, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6E-books won't fail. Anything that can be pirated, has a bright future.
  • Jumangi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't think they have a chance until the youngest generation gets older since they are used to most everything being in electronic form. They don't have as much of a connection with paper books. Plus the obvious of price. Until they get to a low enough price that a place like Walmart sells them then forget it about getting any real traction.
  • phidgt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't think that books will ever completely go away. There's just something about a shelf of books that still appeals to me. The only books I keep are my absolute favorites.
    Having said that, ebooks will become more prominent. As others have stated, the technology and availability aren't quite there yet. I've tried a few different types of readers and so far haven't met up with a perfect match. I also don't want another gizmo to carry around with me that requires more cables and cords. If I could listen to music, watch a movie or read a book all on my iPod, I would be quite content.
    Another issue for ebooks is that most booksellers are technology phobes. The local mom & pop store I worked at a couple of years ago was still using DOS for their POS system. Their opinion of ebooks was that it would keep people from coming into the store and shop.
    The author may not care for ebooks, however, I think the statement that they will fail is innaccurate.
  • meepus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have the entire gutenburg library in ebook format on my laptop, along with several PDFs and .lits that I've accrued from various sources. You know what I can't do with paper books? Drag thousands of them with me, wherever I go. I can, however, drag around my laptop. If I had an ebook reader that could display two paperback pages at once, I'd be floating on air with these things.

    I know what publishers are worried about though--piracy. There are a few bittorrent trackers where you can definitely find pdfs of tons of commercially successful books and other documents of interest (banned books, CIA/FBI/MIlitary manuals)... and all of this without DRM. If no one can control to whom you distribute their IP, of course they're going to completely resist technology that will allow people to take advantage of that. But that doesn't make that technology inferior by any stretch of the mind.

    A PDF doesn't degrade, it doesn't take up physical space, and it doesn't stain. As soon as I can read a PDF in the same manner that I can read an actual book, you better bet I'll be picking up one of these readers. The technology contained in the Fujitsu Flepia in particular looks to be along the lines of what I want (it has color)--and it'll be affordable in just a few years. I'll be waiting.

    BTW, Digg should have an option to bury an article for being FUD. As it is, I'm stuck with 'lame.'
    • memoBug, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1>...the Fujitsu Flepia in particular...

      I'm an ebook fan, but, God, "Flepia" has to be the worst name for a product since "Zune"!
    • JohnFlux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Speaking of gutenburg, another great thing about it is often you get commentary by the translators.

      Read the translators commentry on Sun Tzu's Art of War. Really, go read it. It's about 3 pages long..
  • s0m31john, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My school will not let be bring my Sony ebook reader. It comes down to whether or not the common man will use it. Sure the techies might enjoy it but Joe down the street would rather have normal book.
  • spriggig, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There was a time when letter writing was virtually an art form that people engaged in for recreation. Personalized stationary, fountain pens, a desk blotter and even the little wax sealers were all part of every American home. Go back and ask those people if email would ever replace hand-written letters and their reasons against it would be very similar to these arguments against ebooks.

    While some of his points are valid, price chief among them, the idea that everyone just loves storing and transporting paper books and holding them for hours while reading is completely false.
  • r81984, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Mike Elgan is a jack ass and a very uncredible writer, he should be fired.

    He states that no one will curl up with an e-book and people prefer paper over ebooks. This statement has no backup studies or proof, its just his crappy opinion.

    I can tell you that I love ebooks. I would rather read from my laptop screen that lights up then words on a paper. Also ebooks can instantly become audio books which can be read to you as you drive long distances.
    If college textbook makers created ebooks instead of paper books, I would buy them over the paper ones every day.

    The only reason people like this bash ebooks is they are getting paid by the book companies, if every book was electronic then we would have the BIAA (book inudustry association of america) suing eveyone for downloading copies of the books for free.

    In my opinion ebooks are much better and easier to read than paper books. (you can search, you can quick scrolll, you can convert to audio, you can even print if you choose for much cheaper at a kinkos on 8 1/2 x 11in paper than a very small 5 in sized paper)
  • Soldan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2the ebook has not failed if it had I would not see thousands of them on Bittorrent sites...or tens of thousands on irc..

    I do think pdf is bulky when viewed using the acrobat reader but other than that ebooks rock... the microsoft reader is one of the best pieces of software they produce...

    nothing beats a really book however....
  • angusm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Palm Zire 71 + TiBr (Tiny Book Reader) + PorDiBle (plaintext-to-PDB converter for Mac) + Project Gutenberg = a pocket library that means I always have something to read when I'm waiting for someone, riding the train, etc.

    Despite the Palm's small screen, I find reading on it quite comfortable. eBooks certainly haven't been a failure for me.
  • itwasthursday, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1as a student, i would enjoy not carrying around all those heavy textbooks. the only ***** part would be having to buy a new "textbook" every time; in which case I would seek "used" texts. though, i foresee copy-protected textbooks. oh no :-(
  • Soldan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1audio books suck... great when on the road or something but...sheesh.. do you know how long it takes to read a book aloud instead of reading it to yourself...that is a whole lot of time wasted...

    if you like audio books...check out radio plays from the 40's
  • harlowsmonkeys, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The article cites the cost of the reader as a problem. That ignores the costs associated with regular books beyond the price. I just moved, and so am acutely aware of some of those costs.

    (1) I have approximately $800 worth of shelves to hold my books. (four 84" tall x 36" wide units, five 72" tall x 36" wide units, and a couple smaller units),

    (2) My library requires a dedicated room in my house,

    (3) It added about $120 to the cost of my move (60 boxes @ $2/box). (It would have added more but I moved the books myself, a few boxes at a time, over a week or so before the movers came, rather than having them do it). (And then there was the time to pack, move boxes to the car, drive to the house, unload the car--and I haven't even gotten around to unpacking yet).

    If I could have a good ebook reader, even if it cost $500, and even if ebooks stay as expensive as regular books, I'd go for it in an instant.
  • Lynx777, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I do not know if E-book readers will fly or not, but I for one LOVE to read, and I LOVE to read e-books on my Palm TX. Real books are great, and I think that they will never be replaced entirely, but being able to carry dozens of books in a small space and being able to adjust the font size makes e-books the way to go.

    I carry dozens of reference books. Do I need an answer? There it is, right there hanging on my belt. Are my eyes tired? Just make the font bigger. Do I feel like reading a comedy, suspense, or sifi book tonight? Guess what! I've got them all right in the palm of my hand.
    • rideagain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Which software do you recommend? Mobipocket? Plucker?
  • MercifulCobra, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0The reason e-books will fail is because there is no unversial, standard file format or software. This is the most important factor affecting e-books sales right now. Despite what many of you are stating, e-books have been on the decline for quite some time.
    • rideagain, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3two words: html, and pdf.

      The standards are already there. You can download a number of books in these formats. Even a company as evil as Sony recognizes that, and their Reader can read pdf files.
  • optigon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think, while I am a dead-tree book junkie, that eBooks offer a lot that you can't get out of a dead tree book. Like previous commenters have stated, you don't have a Ctrl-F function for dead-tree books that make reference books handy. But there are other possibilities as well. Like, think of the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books for kids. Think of how much more interesting they can be with an e-Book. There is also the aspect of having a book that simply has links, instead of so many books that have references to webpages, or eTexts that reference websites that can remove dead links.

    There's a lot of potential there that isn't just a mimicry of the dead-tree style. It's just that the medium that makes the public happy isn't there yet... Well, that and just getting people to ***** read is a miracle in itself.
  • DCUK, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The main problem I see with this article is that the author really concentrates on the "feel" of books, much the same kind of thing was said when CDs came out hoping to replace vinyl records. It’s definitely is still said about digital music.

    But I'd love a dedicated e-book. I don't really like reading books at my computer (large CRT) or even on the laptop (better screen for reading), but if there was an affordable well made (must be slim and light, with little DRM feature) when I would consider one.

    I really hope something good comes from all this development.
  • starcluster22, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I don't think that ebooks in the current format are made to replace books, but for me who got used to reading a screen, the portability of the virtual library, the search capability of the computer and the possibility to buy what you want are just some of the advantages that make the ebooks a lot more attractive. In the end it all comes down to your habits so if the writer is used to reading on paper doesn't mean that everybody is. That's why I think ebooks are a GREAT format.
  • noamsml, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Agreed. An E-Book reader costs hundred of dollars, E-Books come in many incompatible formats, AND E-Books are uncomfortable to read. Compare that to a normal book, which usually costs $20 at most, is VERY easy to read, and compatible with pretty much anything. I really don't see a reason to replace it. I even print out PDFs I get (I've got a laser printer, so the cost of ink is less of a factor).

    I don't see E-Books replacing normal books anytime soon. They might have their own niche of geeks, but the mainstream will stay with dead trees, thank you very much.
  • chesss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3loads of ***** there. I HATE stupid people who are so scared of change. Ebooks are for real! They work!!
    I read 1 ebook/day. From George Martin to Austin freeman to stephen king . Any book anytime I want!!

    Virtually any book available for free in any format .
    irc://irc.atomic-irc.net:6667/ebooks
    irc://irc.undernet.org:6667/bookz
    irc://irc.nullus.net:6667/bookwarez
    irc://irc.team-scorpio.com/scorpio-e-bookz

    Information is and should be free for all. Period!
    • Tarnum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Information by itself is free and not copyrightable.
      However, we are talking about literary works, whose authors deserve our patronage. $5-10 are not that much for a new and interesting book. Especially if the money go to the author, not to some multinational corporation.
  • tehbored, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5The price of digital books doesn't necessarily matter so much because there are tons of books which are either in the public domain or have expired copyrights, and you can get most of those on Google. Also, while it's true that people do like paper books, people also like bringing books with them when they go places. And paper books take up much more space than e-books.
  • roodammy44, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think we're ignoring the larger considerations of e-books (as people have with music).
    Now distribution will be free it will allow people to finally get rid of publishers and put up literature that they wrote themselves.
    No need to send in manuscripts and hope you get a chance, you let the people decide what's good and what's not.
    Of course, you won't end up with many people worth hundreds of millions of pounds from selling books, but is culture all about the money?
  • DuffyDirect, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i know they're not ebooks (are they?) but the books on google books have essentially saved me the trouble of buying text books on college (didn't buy one senior year) because a great deal of research is published online.

    I hate paper books. You can't read with a fan on (I like having fan coverage 24/7) and it reallly isn't comfortable or practical to read a book on a flat surface until you've gotten like half way through the book! (when you're in those first crucial pages you need to hold the book open)
  • hourog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Mr. Eglan seems to have overlooked a marketing phenomena which has been at the forefront of studies for the past 20 years: the graying of America.

    It's so much easier, and cheaper, to convert ebooks to larger print for aging eyes.

    It's a shame Sony has the rights to the reader hardware. They seem to be unable to marry the software/hardware needed to produce a viable standard for ebooks. The collaboration of the book and newsprint industry is needed to drive this standard, as in the way iTunes embraces the music industry.

    One wonders what Apple could do with the technology. Mr. Jobs, are you listening?
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