http://my.hsj.org/Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_egxcfv4552ybw13kvupuy245_6aec31b3-7253-447b-805e-631028edcbe8_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:30:04 GMT 15 By Crisalys Vasquez
I feel like with each passing day more and more electronic media is being launched that will make books, newspapers, and textbooks obsolete. One of these electronic media devices that concerns me is the Kindle. The new Kindle DX launched in February has a slim body, with the capability to display entire text books, newspapers, and personal documents. The DX, with its 9.7 inch display screen, is specifically tailored to display magazines and newspapers. Storing up to 3,500 books, periodicals and journals, the $489 item on Amazon is reasonable. Kindle even has contracts with newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, offering monthly subscriptions of $6. However, even though the Kindle is an amazing technological accomplishment, it will take away the feeling of wonderment and anticipation that is associated with reading when you have just picked a book out. There is just something about holding that new book. I know it sounds kind of crazy but the smells associated with holding a new book to the way holding them feels in your fingers are part of the experience of reading a great book. The nostalgic feeling that you get from holding these books cannot possibly be compensated with the dense cold Kindle. I just honestly feel that there is something about holding a book or a textbook that the Kindle will take away. With the introduction of the Kindle, books will no longer be books. They will just be like everything else in this world ceasing to be tangible and only existing in the various forms of electronic media. Even though I hate to say it, there is one advantage to this book, textbook and newspaper murderer. A 2005 government accountability report estimated the cost of textbooks to be $900 per year for students attending public four-year colleges. At less than $500, the Kindle will offer a cheaper alternative for students purchasing textbooks. Textbook availability is based on which textbook publishers Kindle has made arrangements with. With textbooks being accessible through the Kindle, students also won't have to worry about the end of the year hassle of trying to sell their textbooks back to the book store to reap some profits. According to a report by MSNBC from May 18th, e-books account for less than 1 percent of book sales. During the Kindle DX's debut earlier this month chief executive Jeff Bezos of Amazon stated that Kindle books are selling at 35 percent of their print equivalents. Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney stated that nearly 4  million of the earlier edition of the Kindle has been sold within the last quarter which amounts to 10 percent of books sold in the nation.  I do not know about you but it seems like slowly but surely the Kindle will eradicate books. Because the Kindle will also debut newspapers, it does not seem to be doing much to save newspapers from ceasing to exist in paper form. Kindle editions of newspapers do not even show daily news. Some of the news information is old news. Viewing a paper on the Kindle costs money as opposed to having people just view the regular up-to-date versions of newspapers online for free.  There is no telling what the Kindle has in store for the future of books, textbooks, and newspapers. ]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:22:03 GMT