Do e-books mark the beginning of the end for paper and ink?

“A room without books is like a body without a soul” - Do e-books mark the beginning of the end for paper and ink?


At the end of January this year, Apple unveiled their latest creation; the 'iPad'. The release of this planned tablet computer (or giant iPod touch, as most people have responded to it) coincided with a new Apple iBookstore, with the large screen of the portable iPad perfect for reading e-books. This is being hailed as the start of the ‘e-book revolution’, leading the way for generations to come. However, does this mark the beginning of the end for physical, paper and ink books?

In order to consider this concept, it seems important to compare the production of electronic books to the recent revolution of electronic music players; most obviously, the iPod. When the iPod was first released, I was one of those people who refused to buy in, arguing that nothing could compare to having a physical CD collection, which you could proudly display, and look at lovingly. Then I got an adorable, baby-blue iPod mini for Christmas, and I never looked back. There are just so many benefits to storing music electronically: you don't have to fiddle around making mix CDs, you can just have a playlist; it's compact enough to take to the gym, and won't skip when you run; and, the most obvious benefit, you can carry around hundreds of albums in a little, tiny piece of technology! I've got to admit, even as a bit of a technophobe, I was extremely impressed. And I wasn't the only one; as of January this year, over 240,000,000 units have been sold worldwide. I'm no sales expert, but I'm pretty sure that, in technical terms, that's 'a helluva lot'. So, the question is, will e-books manage to match this success?

On the one hand, e-books do have their plus points. In terms of using them for work, it makes finding references infinitely easier. Gone are the days of actually having to read through texts over and over to find that five word quote you desperately need; simply ctrl + f and bingo, it finds it for you. Definitely an advantage for essay writing students, but would this really be relevant to those who read books simply for pleasure? Perhaps one of the benefits of e-books for these types of readers is the ability to carry around hundreds of pieces of literature simply within one book-sized article - and yet, this logic seems flawed. Although it is true that this technology makes it easy to bring multiple books outside the house, it must be questioned whether this ability is actually necessary; how often does one person read through ten or twenty books in one day? With the iPod, the means to store hundreds of musical tracks is clearly beneficial, as an album is (on average) around 45 minutes long, and one may wish to pick and choose from a large range. In comparison, I’m sure even the speediest reader would struggle to read more than two books per day. Similarly, the size of the iPad is an important factor. It measures 9.6” by 7.5” - the same size as your average book, if not a fair bit larger. One of the benefits of the iPod was the ability to cut down on space in your bag; no need for CDs or CD walkman, simply pop in the iPod and there we go. However, in terms of e-books, a reader would save no space at all by replacing their book with the iPad (unless it was War and Peace of course, and, let’s be honest, how many commuters have you seen reading that?).

Another consideration to be taken into account is not only what won’t be gained by investing in an iPad, but also what will actually be lost. This may sound a little shallow, but every time I spend a ridiculous amount of money on a book, I feel safe in the knowledge than one day I will have a wonderful collection of literary classics (as well as the odd untouched reference textbook!) adorning my shelves, for every guest to see. There is a certain element of joy in a good book collection; one that may be lost if reduced to simply scrolling down a list of titles on a large screen. I also dreamily look to the future, where I can pass on all of these books to my children, and they may pass it on to theirs, and a family library will be made. These books may be the heirloom of times to come. With the iPad, however, this passing on of books becomes null and void. Although it may be beneficial for the manufacturer, who would now have a monopoly on selling their particular book, the inability to sell or pass on books is clearly unfortunate for the consumer. This would not only affect the dreamy romantics planning to keep the texts for generations, such as myself, but would also be financially devastating for students who plan to sell on their used textbooks at the end of each year, as well as the students who will no longer be able to buy these used books at second hand prices.

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the emotional connection found with books in a physical form is not merely associated with the sheer pride of having a grand book collection, but also with particular books themselves. Personally, I think this is the true reason why e-books will never completely replace physical books, and for me, they could never even compete. Every time I settle down to my old, battered copy of Frankenstein, I find myself reminded of every other time I settled down to my old, battered copy of Frankenstein. I love the little notes written at the side, certain pages folded over, tea spillage stains and slight rips and tears all over. In my opinion, that is the sign of a well-loved book, and I can’t imagine the effect on literature if this aspect of reading were to be lost. When it comes to my books, the worse the condition, the more times it’s been read and, therefore, the better it must be. And I don’t think the iPad would be able to take that much damage.