Are eBooks better than printed books?

Nowadays there are many different ways to read a book, starting in 1455 with the Gutenberg Bible, being the first printed book ever. Over the years we have experienced different types of books, digital types or traditional ones. The first ebook ever created was done by Michael S. Hart in 1971 digitizing the U.S. Declaration of Independence. As in traditional books, there are many different types and brands of ebooks. The most known is Kindle, first made in 2007 by the Amazon company. Since then, kindles have been a huge success being sold all over the world and making good profit from them. In 2012 Amazon made $565 million just with Kindles. As well as printed books have developed over the years, ebooks have developed too. Ebooks are not just kindles, ebooks are every digital format of a book such as PDF, EPUB, etc.  

There are some pros of reading an ebook. They help with the environment because they don’t require cutting down trees for producing the paper, they can be read many different books in the same device, the price of buying a new book is a lot cheaper (most of them being between $2 and $15) and sometimes you can even find them for free. Finally, it is easier for authors to publish books online than going through the process of sending it to the editorial, having the approval, printing it and at the end, selling it to stores. This may also be better for unknown or new authors so everybody can have access to their books. 

On the other hand, there are some cons about ebooks. Many readers like the feel of touching the paper that printed books have. Digital books are read on a screen and even though they are made in a different way so they don’t damage your eyes, they are still harmful and can affect your vision. To end with, some readers admit that not seeing the cover of the book every day as in printed books, may end up not knowing what book they are reading. 

According to research, many experts agree that ebooks are not worth in 2022 but I personally think they are. There are many types and platforms where to find them, resulting in a lot cheaper or even free. Ebooks help with the environment and are easier to carry around with you. 

Do you prefer ebooks or printed books?

Do you think there will be no more printed books in the future?  

 

https://uj.ac.za.libguides.com/UJeBooks/formats

https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0812/e-books-vs.-print-books.aspx

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  • I prefer printed books over ebooks. I think that ebooks are hard on my eyes and they give me headaches I also think that the feel of a paper book in my hands is better. I could read and entire printed book in a day, if it as and Ebok I would have to take lots of breaks and i probably wouldnt finish the book. I also think that i get distracted easer reading an ebook rather then a printed one.

    • I agree that eBooks can be hard for some people's eyes but I still think that they are more convenient.

  • its not reall a matter of one being better than the other its just what the people want some like to read on their phone/ device and others like a physical book there no real "winner" just different prefrence of what people want to read

    • I agree that there is multiple options so they adapt to people's likes.

  • Personally, I'll always prefer a printed book, but I do think that ebooks will eventually become far more popular than printed books. Though, the problem with ebooks right now is that there isn't as large of a selection of books as a there could be. For example, Kindle has 1.5 million books, but 1.3 million of those are Amazon Exclusives. This means that a lot of more popular authors don't have their books on Kindle.

  • I think that in the future there are going to be fewer printed books and more ebooks. Ebooks are easier for doing research and are easier to carry around, but looking at a screen a lot can put some strain on people's eyes. I don't mind ebooks or printed books both have their benefits.

    • I agree that there is going to be less printed books and more eBooks.

  • I personally enjoy e-books more than traditional books. E-books are more portable and travel-friendly. I do however believe that there will still be traditional hardcover books twenty years from now. I do think physical books can be more beneficial depending on what you're reading. For example, if I'm studying I prefer to have a physical book, but if I'm casually reading I prefer an e-book.

    • I agree that eBooks are easier to carry and more convenient.

  • Personally I prefer printed books because xthere's just a comfort to me about having the feel of the paper on my skin. The way that the world is developing there will eventually be no more printed books but that's a long way off. Ebooks definetly have a future, but they are slowly replacing printed books. 

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