E-books killing the bookshop?
Having just watched an advert for the Amazon Kindle on TV, it got me thinking about all the E-book readers available at the moment along with the increasingly popular Apple iBook store. Can technology really replace books, or is this a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?
With an E-reader you can literally carry hundreds, even thousands of books in your pocket or bag. The new versions of the E-readers can now access on-line stores via wireless, so you can always buy a new book whenever the mood takes you. Frankly why have a device that mimics the real thing? The gadgets recreate the texture of book paper and a simple flick of the finger turns the page.
For me, a self-confessed techno-geek who will happily spend hours trying out new gadgets, carrying a book will always be my preference rather than an E-reader.
There is something reassuring about the feel of a book and it’s pages, the way they smell. The written word is one of man’s earliest inventions and is not something that can be easily substituted with a gadget. Technology is designed to speed up life, make information more accessible, any time, anywhere. People’s attention span is reduced, they want information the moment they think of it.
The very nature of a book, causes you to slow down, to appreciate what the author has written and to think about their words.
