So you’re considering switching to eBooks?

Posted on May 16, 2012 | 6 Comments

Here’s a graphic I picked up from Online Universities (thanks to E-book Nation). The data is specific to the USA but I think it’s worth anyone considering possible purchase of an eBook Reader, or a tablet for reading purposes, reading through it.

For example, you might conclude from this that such a purchase will probably mean you read a lot more. That you are more likely to buy new books than just borrow them. That you will be able to get books more quickly and there will be more to select from.

However, you will be less likely to share your books with others. And you will prefer to use a printed book when reading with a child.

(Click twice on image to enlarge).


Brought to you by: OnlineUniversities.com

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6 responses to “So you’re considering switching to eBooks?”

  1. The Vicar (via Wordpress) | May 16, 2012 at 3:04 pm |

    In my area, there’s a public library which has an enormous annual used book sale. (And I do mean “enormous”… as in “larger than a high school cafeteria” enormous.) They take in donations year-round, so it isn’t just library discards and a lot of recent books are included. You can get used books in an astonishing variety for $1 each, or even less depending on how they structure the pricing each year. So to anyone living around me, e-books are both vastly more expensive and have less available variety than the print type.

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  2. Richard Christie | May 16, 2012 at 7:44 pm |

    Recently bought a kindle and tried to read a technical book (electrical engineering text).
    I found the e-book format to be terrible for such a use, mostly due to navigation limitations. When reading a technical text I like to jump back and forth to graphs, tables glossaries etc – awkward to do on an electronic tablet but easy with paper editions.
    I also felt that the format made it difficult to conceive of the structural layout of the text book, you couldn’t at a glance or flick of a page see where the topic is heading or even keep track of which section you were reading etc.
    I found it a totally exasperating experience and will restrict my ebook use to fiction or for narratives in future it is hopeless for technical stuff. YMMV

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  3. Cedric Katesby | May 16, 2012 at 8:09 pm |

    @The Vicar.
    I envy you. I love a good rummage at a used book sale.

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