Comments on: The future of the book http://matthewcompton.org/2007/04/03/the-future-of-the-book/ Just responding to what I read Sun, 30 May 2010 16:16:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Jeff Smith http://matthewcompton.org/2007/04/03/the-future-of-the-book/#comment-3 Jeff Smith Fri, 11 May 2007 17:54:40 +0000 http://matthewcompton.org/2007/04/03/the-future-of-the-book/#comment-3 I've been proven wrong too many times to actually trust my future sight anymore*, but I agree with David that books still have a long life ahead of them. I think we need a technology breakthrough before e-books can really be a big deal, and it's not just an e-book reader. Rather, laptops will have to develop a much better power source, enabling people to read screens in direct sunlight for hours on end. Getting smaller would help, too. Why would I lug around an e-book reader when I could lug around a book? They're the same weight, really... while an e-book reader could hold thousands of books, I'm not going to be reading thousands of books a day. I'm going to be reading one or two. A physical book is A huge step forward in laptop technology, on the other hand, might solve that problem. I carry my laptop around with me anyway, so it might be cool to have books on it. Actually, I already do have a lot of roleplaying books (the ones I don't plan to collect, really) in e-book form, because they're used more for reference than actual reading. And I read articles online now (though I still get Economist and Foreign Affairs in print). But I'm not ready to make the same switch for fiction and non-fiction. I think it'll eventually happen. But it's not there yet. There's a romanticism to books that there just wasn't to CDs or video tapes. Fighting against that won't be easy. -Jeff *Except on defense matters, music, comic books, and other peoples' relationships, mind you. I’ve been proven wrong too many times to actually trust my future sight anymore*, but I agree with David that books still have a long life ahead of them.

I think we need a technology breakthrough before e-books can really be a big deal, and it’s not just an e-book reader. Rather, laptops will have to develop a much better power source, enabling people to read screens in direct sunlight for hours on end. Getting smaller would help, too.

Why would I lug around an e-book reader when I could lug around a book? They’re the same weight, really… while an e-book reader could hold thousands of books, I’m not going to be reading thousands of books a day. I’m going to be reading one or two. A physical book is

A huge step forward in laptop technology, on the other hand, might solve that problem. I carry my laptop around with me anyway, so it might be cool to have books on it.

Actually, I already do have a lot of roleplaying books (the ones I don’t plan to collect, really) in e-book form, because they’re used more for reference than actual reading. And I read articles online now (though I still get Economist and Foreign Affairs in print). But I’m not ready to make the same switch for fiction and non-fiction.

I think it’ll eventually happen. But it’s not there yet. There’s a romanticism to books that there just wasn’t to CDs or video tapes. Fighting against that won’t be easy.

-Jeff
*Except on defense matters, music, comic books, and other peoples’ relationships, mind you.

]]> By: David H. Schleicher http://matthewcompton.org/2007/04/03/the-future-of-the-book/#comment-2 David H. Schleicher Wed, 04 Apr 2007 04:03:29 +0000 http://matthewcompton.org/2007/04/03/the-future-of-the-book/#comment-2 I just don't see this happening...nobody wants to read a book off a digital screen . It hurts the eyes. Something like this may have its place for articles/news/short-stories/magazine type stuff...but full length books, I just don't see a demand for that...though who knows, only time will tell. As a writer, I know that e-books just don't sell...so I don't see how an "interactive iPod type device for ebooks" is going to make them any more appealing. Sometimes, nothing beats the printed word. I just don’t see this happening…nobody wants to read a book off a digital screen . It hurts the eyes. Something like this may have its place for articles/news/short-stories/magazine type stuff…but full length books, I just don’t see a demand for that…though who knows, only time will tell. As a writer, I know that e-books just don’t sell…so I don’t see how an “interactive iPod type device for ebooks” is going to make them any more appealing. Sometimes, nothing beats the printed word.

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