Though the new e-reader from Barnes & Noble generated considerable excitement this week, a more transformative innovation is just around the corner, 
one that could land dedicated e-book devices in the technological scrapheap along with eight-track tapes and rotary phones. That innovation is Apple’s tablet computer, rumored to be in the works for years, with an anticipated release date in 2010.
Before you splurge on a shiny new Kindle or Nook, you might want to spend a few minutes reading Daniel Lyons’ recent column in Newsweek, “The Hype Is Right: Apple’s Tablet Will Reinvent Computing,” for an informative peek at what the future might hold. According to Lyons (and many others), the new tablet computer will become our morning newspaper, our TV and our book, all rolled into one portable and attractive package. This will not only affect how we read but what we read, Lyons says:
Look at how people have turned their creativity loose on the iPhone. In just 16 months, thousands of developers have created 85,000 applications for that device. The same will happen with tablets. These powerful devices with constant Internet access will enable us (and force us) to rethink media. What is a newspaper? What is a book? What is a movie?
After seeing how the iPhone has affected my own habits, I think Lyons is onto something important here. Readers, authors—and publishers—who are still trying to figure out how to cope with the e-book revolution apparently have even more profound changes in store.
How about you: have you purchased a Kindle or Nook? Will you consider doing so? Or will you wait for the next big thing?
No I won’t be purchasing any electronic device to read books. Part of the reason I love reading is the feel of a book in my hands and actually turning the pages. An e-reader could never compare.
Reading is not just visual — it’s a physical activity as well — holding a book, turning the pages, feeling the weight and texture in your hands. No e-reader for me!
I’ll have to save trees and the environment some other way!
I purchased a Kindle in May, and it has already paid for itself. I, too, love the feel and smell of a book and swore I would never read a book electronically. But, I’ve changed my tune. The Kindle is great for reading outside because the wind won’t blow the pages; reading in bed because your spouse can’t hear you turn pages; reading with one hand or even no hands; don’t have to get up to retrieve the dictionary; it’s just plain convenient…love, love, love it.
Not to poo poo this post, but I’m a huge fan of the book. Some of my best memories involve books or book signings. What would happen at book readings, how would authors sign your electronic book files? I just wrote on my own blog about my hate of these machines. Books are conversation starters amoung strangers. If we no longer make books, then what happens to the libraries and bookstores, just rows of computers?
When I was a teenager, I loved my Beatles’ albums — every pop, hiss and crack. I loved the turntable, I loved lightly dropping the needle onto the right groove, I loved everything about the record album format. But most of all I loved the MUSIC. Now it’s 40 years later and I am listening to the Beatles on an iPod while my old record albums are tucked away on a shelf. What’s important is the message, not the medium, and I believe what we love most about books are the stories they tell. Even if the printed page becomes a rarity, we will always want to read, discuss and share our favorite stories. And I suspect that enterprising authors will somehow find a way to personalize what they publish, whatever the medium. Digital signatures, perhaps?