An e-book is a digital version of a hardcopy book that is readable on computers or other electronic devices. However, e-books are not always copies of printed books, there are some that exist without a printed version. The first e-book was invented in 1971. It has come a long way since then. Now, every corner you turn you see someone reading off a kindle or their smartphones. E-books are now a worldwide phenomenon.
Since the growth of its popularity, it had gained a large number of supporters. E-books are mainly accredited for their mobility, cost effectiveness and readability. E-books are lightweight and easy to carry around. An e-book allows its users to store and bring along with them hundreds of books, whereas an average sized bag could only carry a handful. This makes it more convenient for all readers and at the same time gives them the option to toggle between different books on the go. Next, sites like Amazon offer e-books at a cheaper price. Most e-books can be purchased somewhere between 10 and 15 dollars, while a printed book would probably cost about 30 dollars. Other than that, readers have the option to adjust the text size and font on an e-book. This is a huge plus for those who have difficulty reading from printed books.
Despite the large percentage of people who are all for digital books, there is a big percentage of people who favor hardcopy books. These people favor printed books firstly because they treasure their hardcopy libraries. A great deal of people feel that nothing could replace the satisfaction of reading from a hardcopy book. Secondly, the number of copyright issues have gradually increased since the emergence of e-books on the market. For example, Amazon had to delete books from user’s libraries because they did not have the permission to sell them. Last but not least, DRM, otherwise known as Digital Rights Management, has become a big problem when it comes to ebooks. This is because e-book publishers publish their books in a different formats and put up safeguards to prevent users from changing that format, or reading the book on a separate device. So if say, you purchase an e-book for Amazon Kindle, you’re permitted to read it only on the kindle.
As for me, I strongly agree with the people who are in favor of printed books. Not only do I like reading books, I like collecting them as well. Besides that, reading from an electronic device or a phone just wouldn’t give you the satisfaction you get when you’re flipping through the pages or making notes or just doodling on the book. Also, I’m not one to jump between books. When I start reading one, I’ll finish it before starting another. All in all, I view e-books as more of a con.
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Posts By Carmen 