Will books become obsolete since they arent digital?

For me personally, I prefer the feel of a book. I'd rather relax and read a book than read pixels on a screen for long periods if its something I want to read for enjoyment and fun. I just dunno if books will ever become obsolete to the point of not being produced. They have been around since there was no electricity at all. What happens if the power goes out or batteries die etc? Books are always a constant.

My 2 cents anyway.

Magazines and newspapers maybe

sadly our only little bookstore here is closing down after 42 years

That is sad... but Amazon is cheaper and has free 5-day shipping!

Have you read on a kindle? It's not really pixels on a screen. I had to be convinced......but I was.

I don't see printed books fading out completely anytime soon. In the future? Who knows, we'll have the Kindlenater3000 or something and probably. Right now, text books, reference books, PDFs, etc are all still very hard to read on a Kindle/Nook.

People want hard copies of their entertainment (or resource books, or anything you use twice). IPod will be the barometer.

I just downloaded a book that I wish that I could pass around and share. I like the instant gratification and discount of a download; but I don't get a physical copy, and the book really isn't mine, is it?

Yeah I enjoy the feel of a book in my hands and the smell of its musty pages. I've been reading a bit on my itouch which is kinda small, but it is handy as hell.

I have a Nook which I loved. There are some books that I would still buy to keep/save/pass down. DH swears he'll never get an eReader. He is a total book lover. Only way I could see him getting one is for the ease of less to pack on deployments.

The only plus I see to the readers is not having books crammed into every nook and cranny around here, but frankly I like that so not much of a plus really. I'm with Roz. The feel of a book, along with the smell especially in a book store, is just too much to give up.

I'd love a Kindle or whatever, and I'd use the shit out of it, but I still love to have books. Just like I love my iPod, but I keep buying CDs (not digital downloads) and I like the idea of making a CD to play in my car instead of just playing from the random thousands of tracks on my iPod (though I do both).

Also, I'm paranoid and I have anxiety problems. What happens if I lose my Kindle or something? ALL THOSE BOOKS, GONE FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can totally see newspapers and magazines and other daily/weekly/monthly/whatever things being replaced, as is already happening with their respective websites.

If Amazon is anything like BN, there is a virtual library that you can re-download from what you've purchased, I believe.

I love books as well, especially old ones. However, I love my kindle. It's so convenient. Just a couple of advantages are...if I finish a book and stores are closed I can get the sequel immediately....tons of free books (that are still good)... and I dont have to lug my entire carry on full of books when traveling.

Reading on an ipad/smart phone isn't quite the same since it's backlit.

Digital editions are to physical Books what Paperback Novels were to Hardcover Books. Hardcover books didn't disappear overnight once cheaper Paperback versions came out, and if anything I can see physical books becoming the premium product while digital books become the mass production norm.

I have books and vinyl records at home that I've had since childhood, and some that belonged to my parents and grandparents. I can't say the same about floppy disks, recordable CD's and DVD's or even old computer games. The technology keeps updating to the point where you can't use those electronic recordings very easily.

I'm not against digital books though, especially the digital comics with multimedia capabilities and audio visual features. The increasing power of portable computing devices makes the platform quite appealing if you want to encourage literacy skills development and promote foreign language exposure (like moi is currently pursuing).

I love the smell of vinyls/ Just thought I'd throw that out there.

And yeah, I can't imagine being snuggled up on the sofa with a Kindle..gimme a real book!

I own a Nook and I liek it a lot. I was getting yelled at to quit buying books and we had no room for the books I already had. My thing is I dont read books more than once so I eitehr stick them on paperbackswap.com to get rid of them and get something new or I donate them or give them to other people. My screen isn't pixelated it looks just the same as a page, its some kind of digital ink or something (super hitech arent i). Now I have been reading a series to which I have all them in paperback or hardcover and I refuse to buythem on the Nook simply because I have a collection. I only save a book/series if I really treasure it.

My only issue with the Nook is I wont buy textbooks on it ( you can get some already) because the Nook isnt as fast as I am. The teacher says turn to page 187. Now I gotta boot the thing up and wait for it to load the book and then figure out what page is actually 187 because since it's condensed it has different page numbers....It's a bitch. EDIT* So what Im saying is No, print books wont be going away imo for a long time.

You better believe when I go on my honeymoon in two months that my nook is coming with me. I'll be laying on the white sand beach, reading as many books as I want whenever I want as perfect pristine blue waves lap at the shore. 1 nook fits better into a suitcase better than 4 or 5 novels.

Didn't the kindle come out with same page numbers just recently? Thought I saw it on CNN.

Yea they sent me an email, but I haven't checked the feature out

I love digital books because I can make the print bigger.

/old

If Kindles done it Nook should be doing is soon as well. That would be nice