Electronic Books

3 Jan 2011

Thing is you can try to say it wont replace books but it will. It will already be hitting the sales of high street book stores and that is only going to increase as time goes on. Some will close then more will close and those that can will adapt, probably only the larger stores. Then whats the betting people will complain there are no book stores anymore? No odds to me dont really read books but it seems quite simple to see what will happen.

3 Jan 2011

Quote by tweeky
Thing is you can try to say it wont replace books but it will. It will already be hitting the sales of high street book stores and that is only going to increase as time goes on. Some will close then more will close and those that can will adapt, probably only the larger stores. Then whats the betting people will complain there are no book stores anymore? No odds to me dont really read books but it seems quite simple to see what will happen.

it has already replaced paper books for me in just 3 days lol
however i rarely bought any paper books from book shops, mostly used tesco cus they are cheaper than book shops so my buying habbits arnt gonna hurt anyone much cus im sure tesco can survive ok due to the wide range of products they sell
i occasionally bought paper books from amazon but they wont be affected cus now il now download their books to my kindle smile

3 Jan 2011

I remember when I got my first job after University a guy saying back in 1989 that by 1999 books would disappear as computers would be the way forward. It is now 2011. Books are still here and so are computers. Its the same when videos came in that they said cinemas would go. They are still here but they have changed.
The written word and Guttenburg and the printing press have been around for a little while and have changed radically. How we access the stories we want to read, fiction and non fiction has and will continue to change. I think that there will be more and more formats including audio books which are very popular.
I love like many, the feel of a book and have piles all around the house> I spend enough time on a computer with work that at the moment I have no interest in electronic books but I do hope that if it encourages people to read then thats all that matters.

3 Jan 2011

using the kindle to read isnt at all like using a computer, its nothing like a computer screen at all, its not shiny nor does it reflect light, it has the appearance of a paper book and apart from being thin its approx the same size as a paper book
i too have hundreds of books around my house and although they are much loved i hate dusting them and how they smell if they arnt dust free and the space they take up hence the kindle is wonderful, one quick wipe and thousands of books are cleaned in one go lol

3 Jan 2011

Many variations to be had from the last few replies. Cinemas Vs video its just a size thing lol

People always like bigger when it comes to a film so as long as you cant fit a cinema in your house the cinema will always have an appeal. Thats totally different to books regardless of their history they are on the way out although it will be some time yet. Danne is the perfect example, Tesco is cheaper and kindles more convenient. It does not matter to them that book stores will close people will loose jobs (Should have seen the deals I got in Borders, psp games for 99p :lol: ) as long as the current option is more convenient. Amazon Ebay and I am sure more to come will slowly take over a lot of things along with Asda Tesco and Sainsburys in other departments. The UK consumer does not give a hoot about anything other than price, ease of use and how fast can I get it. Book shops will become a novelty that a small pocket of people will enjoy, books will devalue like VHS video tapes due to the amount available second hand

3 Jan 2011

Hi all,
I've heard that Kindle are on about introducing the ability to pass your books on to another Kindle user, but this can only be done once per book. Lovely idea but obviously aimed at getting more people to buy the thing.
Personally I prefer a real book myself, as you know I don't have a TV so I do read - got half a good old fashioned second hand book shop collection upstairs! (yes, me the dullard reads books!)
I also spend many an hour on holiday in the sun reading (as do many others) and often leave my book(s) behind for others to read. You wouldn't leave a Kindle.
OK a Kindle is lighter and can contain many many books, however I only tend to read one of em at a time, and even with being away for a month at a time honestly don't get through hundreds of em. I can throw my book at someone should I wish to, I wouldn't throw my Kindle! I use my book to claim my sun lounger and with it being in view get many people asking if I'm really English etc as not many go there. I wouldn't leave my Kindle in view and therefore would miss out improving my Russian/German/French etc lol

Suppose at the end of the day it all comes down to are you just a person that likes to read, or do you also collect the books too, have favorite author etc - "I must get the latest Stephen King for my collection" type of person? Just read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury or own a 1953 first edition? Think I'll stick with my Ballentine thanks.
As an after thought, I've decided that everyone should get a Kindle as it'll increase the value of actual real books as they become collectable! :lol:

3 Jan 2011

Quote by tweeky
Many variations to be had from the last few replies. Cinemas Vs video its just a size thing People always like bigger when it comes to a film so as long as you cant fit a cinema in your house the cinema will always have an appeal. Thats totally different to books regardless of their history they are on the way out although it will be some time yet. Danne is the perfect example, Tesco is cheaper and kindles more convenient. It does not matter to them that book stores will close people will loose jobs (Should have seen the deals I got in Borders, psp games for 99p :lol: ) as long as the current option is more convenient. Amazon Ebay and I am sure more to come will slowly take over a lot of things along with Asda Tesco and Sainsburys in other departments. The UK consumer does not give a hoot about anything other than price, ease of use and how fast can I get it. Book shops will become a novelty that a small pocket of people will enjoy, books will devalue like VHS video tapes due to the amount available second hand

i have to say that as i rarely used book shops anyway, me having a kindle isnt gonna put people out of work ... i couldnt afford book shop prices and until tescos, amazon and similar places started selling cheaper books i only ever bought 2nd hand books or mostly used a libruary smile

and also if im honest im not gonna go into a book shop and buy paper books just so the people in there dont lose their jobs ... i dont care about them anymore than they do about me lol ... makes me selfish ?? maybe ?? probably lol

4 Jan 2011

Quote by SinSi
As an after thought, I've decided that everyone should get a Kindle as it'll increase the value of actual real books as they become collectable!

Its a valid point but it takes some time and compare the number of books in the world to other things and it will probably be outside of our lifetime. Good points too about the book vs kindle uses however kindle and similar things will still hit book shop sales and the smaller guys will fall first

Quote by Danne
i have to say that as i rarely used book shops anyway, me having a kindle isnt gonna put people out of work ... i couldnt afford book shop prices and until tescos, amazon and similar places started selling cheaper books i only ever bought 2nd hand books or mostly used a libruary
and also if im honest im not gonna go into a book shop and buy paper books just so the people in there dont lose their jobs ... i dont care about them anymore than they do about me lol ... makes me selfish ?? maybe ?? probably lol

Wasent having a go Danne wink

Just point out how the UK consumer public can be. I am exactly the same. Buy my new PS3 or 360 games at ASDA, its cheaper and more convenient. There is a down side to this sad

I cant get a used Xbox original controller at Asda and when the high street guy selling those goes tits up I wont be able to complain much as I didnt go there and buy his games and stuff. What we then end up with is what the majority want and no niche. In electronic book sales talk thats probably no issue as the manufacture cost is nothing. In other industries though it means everything gets forced on line and the winners again are Amazon and Ebay :lol:

4 Jan 2011

Quote by tweeky

As an after thought, I've decided that everyone should get a Kindle as it'll increase the value of actual real books as they become collectable!

Its a valid point but it takes some time and compare the number of books in the world to other things and it will probably be outside of our lifetime. Good points too about the book vs kindle uses however kindle and similar things will still hit book shop sales and the smaller guys will fall first

Quote by Danne
i have to say that as i rarely used book shops anyway, me having a kindle isnt gonna put people out of work ... i couldnt afford book shop prices and until tescos, amazon and similar places started selling cheaper books i only ever bought 2nd hand books or mostly used a libruary
and also if im honest im not gonna go into a book shop and buy paper books just so the people in there dont lose their jobs ... i dont care about them anymore than they do about me lol ... makes me selfish ?? maybe ?? probably lol

Wasent having a go Danne wink

Just point out how the UK consumer public can be. I am exactly the same. Buy my new PS3 or 360 games at ASDA, its cheaper and more convenient. There is a down side to this sad

I cant get a used Xbox original controller at Asda and when the high street guy selling those goes tits up I wont be able to complain much as I didnt go there and buy his games and stuff. What we then end up with is what the majority want and no niche. In electronic book sales talk thats probably no issue as the manufacture cost is nothing. In other industries though it means everything gets forced on line and the winners again are Amazon and Ebay :lol:
yeah we use amazon and ebay to get things that arnt sold in supermarkets

4 Jan 2011

I bought my latest ironing board from Amazon!
:bounce:

14 Feb 2011

I got one for valentines off minx.
It is bloody fabulous.

14 Feb 2011

i love mine smile