I am just over half way through reading a book on my iPod. I use the Kindle application for this, an application I believe will dominate the ebook space. There are two reasons for this. selection and price.
Currently in Canada the selection available on Apple’s iBooks is very poor. When I do find what I want the pricing is far too high. This is also true for other alternative readers like Stanza. I always end up returning to Amazon’s Kindle application.
Actually, this is just fine. The application works well on the iPod and despite the small screen is very effective. However, there is one thing it does not do well. Something not limited to the Kindle but true for all e-readers.
In years gone by I’ve ordered countless books from Amazon. One of the biggest joys has always been getting a parcel in the mail. I would always enjoy a childish delight in the expectation and then the unwrapping of the parcel! This would be followed by the close examination of a pristine new book! I would sniff it, touch and then gently turn the pages of the object like I had never seen one before.
Where is the electronic version of this experience? Logically I can deal with it of course: no delay; better for the environment etc. There are also some new benefits like no loss of shelf space, no shipping cost and now, thanks to the iPod, easier portability. Finding a book smaller than my iPod is possible but, finding two or three or a hundred combined …
I miss getting parcels in the mail. What concerns me is the absence of emotion when I buy an e-book. That emotional connection with a book is very important as any book lover will tell you. If Kindle or Apple had something that replicated this then that would be the single most powerful force in the market!
.jpg)
