If having to make a choice between reading an e-book or a printed book, which would most people choose? Some would go for an e-book while some still prefer the hard-printed book.
Electronics publications, be it in the form of e-books or downloadable PDF documents, are part of our age of technology. Technology improvements coupled with rising costs of printing on paper plus lowered costs of electronic publishing have caused a great rise in their use.
It is undeniable they do have benefits. For one, changes to an electronic publication are relatively easy to make. They are quicker to obtain. If you want specific information and it is available in a book, you can purchase an e-book and download it immediately. Instead of waiting for a printed book to be delivered, you can assess this information now.
E-books are more easily updated and upgraded. Information changes rapidly today.
The printed books on many subjects can become outdated very quickly. On the other hand, e-books can be easily and quickly kept up to date. You usually get far more than just the e-book. Most e-books are sold with bonuses and related information that usually do not come with the purchase of a printed book. Moreover, they take up less space. Instead of a bulky library, you can fit literally thousands of books on your computer. It also makes it easier to share this information with family and friends.
Printed reference books are already dying out. When was the last time anyone purchased a printed encyclopedia set for use at home? A generation ago that was common as parents often purchased printed encyclopedias and even bookshelves to hold them in order to provide the necessary tools for their children’s studies.
It is a fact that reference books of all sorts are already being released in digital format today and are selling well, usually being viewed on Windows or Macintosh computers, often as web pages. As improved handheld readers become available, sales in electronic format will only increase.
For nearly twenty years, futurists have been predicting the imminent demise of printed books. The conventional wisdom has been that digital e-books were on the verge of replacing paper books. However, this has not been the case. A printed book has its advantages too. For one, it is a stand-alone object that can be carried and used alone. It needs no electric outlet, no batteries, nothing. On the other hand, e-books will always require some form of support that the printed book does not need.
I believe that that online publishing has not taken off because people want real books. What is being published online more and more are pamphlets and things that really do not need to be in print. These are stuff that people throw away afterward. More often, people do not want to read a book on the computer. What could be better than a paper book? It lasts a long time. These books are designed to last a long time without degrading.
To sum the pros and cons up, there is no denying that the printed book is still very much preferred over its digital cousins. Reading electronic publications is just not the same when it comes to books. People are still very interested in real books and notebooks on the computer.
