- The smell of old and new books beats the plasticky smell of a Kindle any day. Admit it. You like sniffing your books too.
- With ebooks, there’s no real pages to leaf through so I won’t get that thrill of reaching the final pages of an exciting novel. Seeing page numbers just don’t cut it for me. Also, I can’t get them dog-eared. Now tell me, where’s the fun in that?
- I can’t possibly show off my ebooks in a nice and shiny mahogany bookshelf, can I?
- I don’t like the idea of recharging something just so I could read my books.
- All the books I already bought in paper format will have to be bought again from Amazon just so I could have it on the Kindle as well.
- Kindle = DRM hell. With DRM, the Kindle books you buy are still largely controlled by Amazon and the publishers. Can you get secondhand ebooks? I don’t think so. Paper books, by contrast, are very easy to share and once you bought them you can keep them for years if you want or give them away to friends.
- If I lose the Kindle, I lose also all the books I bought for it. Plus, that’s $500/P25,000 wasted on an irreplaceable white plastic that’s gonna harm nature, etc.
- Reading in an E-Ink/LCD screen is boring. No colors means no nice book covers and illustrations to look at.
- It is too freaking expensive! The cost of that thing is enough for me to buy all the books I want in a year!
- With the Kindle, I’d be too afraid to read in some public places just because I’m holding something worth hundreds of dollars. Paper books generally don’t appeal to thieves, you know.
- Traditional books are just BETTER. Who wants to curl up in bed with a hard plastic gadget? Certainly not me.
The Kindle’s not yet officially released in the Philippines but those are excellent reasons why I still won’t be getting one even if it does arrive here on our shores soon. Most of those reasons also apply to other electronic book readers like Sony’s.
I’m a tech enthusiast so it might even be funny for you to read this coming from someone like me. While I do believe that traditional books will eventually be superceded by some hi-tech reading gadgetry in the future, I don’t think it will happen anytime soon. At least not in our lifetime. So here’s to another century of musty, dog-eared books and dusty old bookshelves!
UPDATE: I now own a Kindle 3. ^_^
I think its a case to case basis. Really depends on the answer of “why you are carrying a book”. Unlike most of you. I find having ebooks on a kindle really inexpensive. Why is that? The printed version of the books I read worth hundreds of dollars. These IT books are Oracle, Microsoft or Cisco ebooks. Also, this books are quite heavy compared to your usual novels. Doing a lot of reviewing to pass exams or refresh my knowledge, I find having the capability to carry them all at the same really useful. Lost your kindle? It’s “funny” you don’t backup your ebooks into your computer
Well said my friend
I actually got the Kindle for the exact same reason – for IT books. I couldn’t justify getting it just for the novels. The possibility of having several computer books so I could learn stuff anywhere I go sealed the deal for me. Since getting the Kindle 3 months ago, I’ve only read one IT book and I’m not even halfway through with it. Haha!
As for your comment about losing my ebooks… I wrote this article almost 2 years ago. The 2nd-gen Kindle was just released and I was misinformed about its limitations back then. Some of the points here may not apply anymore as they release newer Kindles. I will update this post to indicate that I already own a Kindle.
Found your site while googling for info for the Kindle. Like you, I used to feel the same way about Kindle, or any ebook reader for that matter – nothing was going to replace the feel and smell of a paperback book.
But that was until I started reading free ebooks (Sherlock Holmes
) on my iPod during long commutes. I started to appreciate the portability it brought me. I didn’t have to bring a thick paperback with me! Plus, my small bookcase was already sagging with the weight of my books, and my cramped apartment couldn’t take anymore, AND I’ve already had a few prized books eaten or clawed to death by my cats and dogs.
There was also the easy availability of ebooks on the world wide web. I didn’t actually have to “buy” the book, if you know what I mean, what with apps like Calibre and Sigil.
With the limited availability of books here in the Philippines, I figured this was another reason to seriously consider an ebook reader.
My fiance bought me a Kindle (Wi-fi) for Christmas, and I’m tweedling my thumbs in anticipation.
The Kindle hasn’t totally replaced my physical book collection, though. For example, I just ordered the Hunger Games trilogy in hardback on Amazon.
In the future, I think I will limit my book purchases to hardcover books for my favorite books (to show off 
) and the rest will be ebooks.
Glad to hear that Hazel. As you’ve probably read here, I was so against any form or e-reading before. Three months after having the Kindle, I find myself reading more books in it than in paper format. *gasp*
Patrick
You brought up a very good point. Before I had my Kindle, I would read probably about once every two weeks and now with the Kindle, I have read every night and if Im reading something and feel like I need a change, I click on another one of the books I was reading. Love it, love it and not to mention all of the free books you can down load. Score!!!!!
I received a Kindle for Christmas this yr and prior to me knowing that I was getting a Kindle, I stood by the fact that I like having the book right there in my hand. With my Kindle, I curl up in my bed everynight and read my my books via my Kindle and I absolutely love it. Yes with everything it has its draw backs, like if you lose it, your books are gone but you can also have your books down loaded to your computer. I do not find the screen boring at all. Also I can go from book to book to read with the Kindle. When I travel, I dont have to take 5-6 books with me, just my Kindle. Its one of those gadgets that will eventually take off like the Ipod and either you will like it or you wont. I don’t care for an Ipod but I love my Kindle.
Thanks Sheri. I also don’t think the Kindle screen’s boring. A monochrome screen might sound boring on paper but really, when you’re immersed in the story or message of a book you forget all of that. It’s really just you and the author or the story having a conversation. If anything, reading on the Kindle has made me realize a new way of appreciating the art of reading.
I totally agree with you in every aspect. I couldn’t have said it better! Thank you for sharing that information. I don’t have to own one to know how I feel about it iether. What you said sounds just like what I would say if I did! Amazon’s comments towards me were aggressive when I posted my opinion on why I wouldn’t buy a Kindle. And I had a right to express it because I have looked at it and came to a conclusion that I needed to post. We don’t have to buy the lamp we don’t like just to know why we don’t like it! Duh! The techno generation doesn’t care if they have a book or not. They don’t care about the personality of a book, what the author s expressing. or any human aspects of a book. It’s so sad. A piece of expensive plastic…..with nothing but a gray screen. Blah….Cold and UGLY.
Yes, for a student, it might be useful…..but if it got stolen or lost, how useful is that?
Thank you for sharing…..I hope to hear more people responding.
I would have been ecstatic to receive your comment last 2009 but alas, things change and I have since bought a Kindle and enjoy reading on it. http://www.syaoran.net/thebookishpinoy/2010/11/amazon-kindle-3-first-impressions/
I do still read paper books though.
Wow man, I really couldn’t find any real reason not to like this gadget. Ok, I agree it’s better to have a real book, because it’s better expirience, but reasons like, I can’t put it on my shelve are funny, not to use some stronger word. For example I’m reading e books for a wile allready, and I’m thankfull for that. Anything that I’m interested in, is right under my nose. While, is not like that if you wont to use public library or so. General kowledge is available like never before thanks to the internet and pdf-s. And if there is a way to read all of that on some gadget wich is more suitable for that than a lap tops, than why not! Aside the fact tat it is quite expensive, we know taht it is not going to stay that way forever. But fact that you can keep a hundreds of various book in one tiny box and bring it with you wherever you go, and not to need whole trunk for that, is allready great thng.
Hi wtesder! Thanks for your input here. While I did find the idea of carrying hundreds of books in one portable gadget really attractive at first, I quickly realized it’s not something for me. Maybe if I was in the academe or something. But for leisure reading like novels, it isn’t ideal for me to sacrifice the feeling of holding a real book in my hand. While most people think it’s great they can bring thousands of songs with them anywhere they go with their iPod, it’s simply not the case with ebooks.
And about the shelf thing, well most of these reasons are really more of my own personal reasons and won’t necessarily apply to every reader. To me, a shelf filled with books is like my “Pensieve” wherein with just a single glance, I can remember some memorable experience in my life. That’s something ebook readers simply can’t offer.
Oh, and I’ve changed my opinions a bit since I wrote this article and I might get a Kindle or Nook after all but you can be sure that it won’t happen for at least 3 years. And I’ll most likely use it just for those books I’ve already read. The only thing ebooks readers have over paper books is the “Find” feature.
Hi Patrick! Unlike you, I can’t wait to get my hands on the Kindle! Hehehe. It would make a good repository of classical novels that we usually go back to reading every now and then.
I didn’t expect you’d like the Kindle. Oh well, I’m not saying I’ll never ever buy a Kindle. Heck, I read ebooks myself on my Palm!
I believe there’s a market for both ebooks and paper books. I just don’t like what I’ve been reading so far in the web about how the print industry will die just like what’s happening right now to music and movies.