The week in your words: Snooping, piracy and eBooks

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Posted on 15 Aug 2008 at 17:53

He wasn't the only one excited by Kindle though, nicomo was rhapsodic.

"I will miss books too, there are hundreds in my library ... I'm running out of shelf space - and in my profession I have to carry around a certain number of books daily - all of which I would love digitised to scan easily for certain info. So this little reader is the right way to go for me and for the next generation."

There are problems though. Lot's of them. Form an orderly queue, Jimexbox first.

"The main issue I have with eBook readers is not the reader itself, rather the pricing structure for the online downloadable content. Amazon quote $9.99 for the latest books, roughly £5.26. Considering you are cutting out the entire production and transport process, I find this rather excessive. Especially if you pop down to Tescos or Asda who sell many of the latest books at well below this figure."

ProfessorF is a fellow sceptic.

"I pick up a book, I don't have to boot it, I don't have to swap cartridges or charge batteries. It's there, in my hand, ready to go. As an exercise in simplicity and convenience, reading a book is right up there. Now with an ebook, you're taking that basic model and complicating it, almost needlessly."

Not needlessly, ProfessorF. They're doing it for profit.

See you all next week.

Author: Stuart Turton