It’s hard to believe that I was writing things like this last year:
I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoy reading books on the iPad. I was initially worried that eye strain or the loss of the traditional text reading experience would make it seem more like a gimmick than some revolution in reading. But those fears were quickly assuaged, and I’m now absolutely hooked on the iPad as an e-reader.
It feels like ten years ago. I guess that’s what happens when major disruption occurs: remembering how one lived before the disruption becomes difficult.
The iPad was a major disruptor in my reading workflow. It wasn’t an add-on or an enhancement. It fundamentally changed how I read.
I now expect books to be in some kind of e-form. When I open a book on my iPhone, it should be in the same place it was when I stopped reading on my iPad. The number of words a book has should not dictate whether I can carry it with me.
2010 was the year that, for me, books transcended relativity and grew new legs in the quantum world. Books are no longer bound by the conventions of space and time. They’re photonic manifestations of human ideas that can exist anywhere.
I don’t think we’re witnessing the death of paper though. At least, I hope not.
While I read paperbacks far less often today, when I do, it seems extra special. Sorta like those rare occasions I drink a Coke in a glass bottle, and I’m transported back in time to my early childhood, sitting in a frozen-in-the-1950s barber shop with my Dad.
A medium, itself, can contribute as much to an experience as the content it delivers. Touch screens have permanently and positively affected my overall reading experience, but they’ve also made printed books more special than ever.
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Yeah, as a huge music buff who has over 13K songs on iTunes, that’s how I feel about digital music. A lot of my hi-fi friends will scoff at me for my abundance of compressed MP3′s, but when I stick with that for normal use, it seems to make listening to vinyl all the more magical of an experience.
Great post, Eddie!
While the iPad has changed my reading habits as well, I’m still waiting for the books to change. There’s no reason for books to be static text and images on devices like iPad. For example, if I’m reading a programming book, why can’t I play with the example codes within the book. Executing the code, changing it and trying again etc. There is so much more interesting ways electronic books good be better than paper. That said, you are right that reading a book on paper feels special nowadays.
I totally agree that books need to change, but I have no idea when that will happen. I’m accumulating quite a digital library, which has not only my books but also my highlights and annotations. It just feels wrong that there isn’t an easier way to access those things.
Publishers just don’t get this new medium yet — particularly the positive implications of social sharing.
Nice post, Eddie! I went to a publishing conference last year about how the page was dying, yet someone from Bateau Press (bateaupress.org) was there, and showed us that for however many people rely on the screen, there are still those that enjoy the art of the book. For ex. this chapbook (http://www.amazon.com/Instructions-Narwhal-Allison-Titus/dp/0979532507/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314285543&sr=8-2); all 500 are handcrafted beautifully! I think it will be difficult to see poetry go into the screened age, but I can’t wait to see what happens!
So, Eddie, you haven’t been tempted by e-ink? I’m considering a Nook, because when I’m reading on iPad, there are too many tempting distractions. I wish Apple made a dedicated reader.
Yes, I have actually. My Kindle Touch should arrive any day. I see the Kindle’s lack of iPad-like features as a feature itself. Fewer distractions = more reading.