What is the Future of Reading?
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Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
– Albert Einstein
I’m not what you would call an avid reader. To be sure, I read magazines, newspapers, and stuff on the Internet all the time. But on average, I generally read 3-4 books (novels, non-fiction, etc.) per year. However, in the last month, I have read 4 books, and am currently working on my 5th. I’ve also discovered a newfound interest in classic literature, having read several short stories and essays by various authors including George Orwell and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Why the Sudden Burst in Reading?
It’s no secret that I am an enormous geek, and I love all things tech. I have an iPod Touch with 3 ebook readers on it, and the only reason I don’t have an Amazon Kindle is for fiscal reasons. That’s right, I’ve read the last 4 books this past month on my iPod Touch; and comfortably I might add. Steve Jobs famously said about the Amazon Kindle in January 2008:
It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore. Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.
How ironic then, that the device that has renewed my interest in reading is an Apple device. Even more ironic is the fact that technology is the main reason people don’t read anymore, yet technology just might change that. From the availability of a whole library or bookstore in the palm of your hand, to the persistent connections offered on most newer ebook readers, including the Kindle and the iPhone, the convenience afforded by these devices is unparalleled. Of course, many of the details, such as licensing, need to be addressed, but I whole-heartedly believe that ebooks will overtake traditional books within my lifetime.
What do you think? Are ebook readers here to stay, or just a geek-fad?
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i was really close to getting a kindle for my own bday present this year. but IMHO i prefer books on mb4 (the mp3 won’t save where you left of but the mb4 does!). It really takes the mind numbing hatred of other drivers out of my drive home, or the pain in my knee less excrutiation on the eliptical. so my i touch is loaded with audiobooks. i really float all over the place with my interests. some months it’s George Orwell or Ayn Rand, then others its books like Freakinomics or The Shock Doctrine, or Sci Fi books like the Dune series.
so in short i’m a modern g33k that would prefer the audio version because i can do that while i do other things, like drive or at the gym.
I’ve tried audiobooks, but then I start multitasking and my mind wanders. Unless the book is interesting. I did audioread Scott McClellan’s “What Happened” and that was able to keep my attention.
I’m an old-fashioned kind of reader; I need the smell and feel of books. Books via the Kindle or Ipod would be better for the environment though…
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