Rise of the E-Readers

The article below prompted me to examine how my reading habits have changed since I got an iPad. Six months in, I’ve bought 21 ebooks and 6 digital magazines vs. around 5 or so printed books, three of which were used. I’ve let most of my printed magazine subscriptions lapse in favor of electronic editions or publications like Electric Literature.

Since the iPad became my primary reader, I’ve found that when I want a book that doesn’t have a digital copy available, instead of looking for a used copy, I just pass it by. I’ve also taken chances on books I might have skipped such as 03 by Jean-Christophe Valtat.

iPad in Marware case running Kindle app. Note the eye-soothing reverse color. Shelf in the background is for books I haven't read yet.

via The New York Times:

Great Holiday Expectations for E-Readers

This could be the holiday season that American shoppers and e-readers are properly introduced.

E-readers will be widely available at stores like Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, and offered at prices that make sense for Christmas gifts — less than $150.

Publishers and booksellers are expecting that instead of giving your mother a new Nicholas Sparks novel or your father a David Baldacci thriller in the hardcovers that traditionally fly off the shelves and into wrapping paper at this time of year, you might elect to convert them to e-reading.

“This is the tipping-point season for e-readers, there’s no question,” said Peter Hildick-Smith, president of the Codex Group, a book market research company. “A lot more books are going to be sold in e-book format. It also means that a lot fewer people are going to be shopping in bookstores.”