Is the kindle a gift from god or the devil in disguise? Well it depends your vantage point. For example, for the beach reader, the kindle could not have come sooner. What could be better than an endless depository of books whose pages cannot be veiled by the sun’s glare. Sunglasses are no match for the kindles glare resistant screen. It is also superior to the I-pad since it is much more heat resistant and it would be unlikely for the Kindle to overheat in comparison to the I-pad.
In short, the Kindle is a wonderful product for pleasure readers and travelers. Although it is not a product that has many capabilities that would make it convenient for academic types. Since most academic books are unavailable in e-reader format. This brings me into my next concern. While an increasingly wider variety of books are being formatted for Kindle, it is still cannot be compared to the amount of published books still out on the market. That being said, Kindle is a relatively new technology, which is likely to catch on, making the need for published books to diminish overtime.
Is this change in demand due to an advancing technology a good thing? In some ways it is, and in some ways it is not. For publishers, the kindle is the devil reincarnated. With every Kindle that is purchased, the demand for published books decreases. This inverse relationship is causing publishers to loose a substantial amount of business. We all know that the publishing business is on the decline already, but the Kindle may just be the thing to truly finish them off! Although many people take it for granted, book making is truly an art form. These days published books are considered the average, and we barely take the time to consider what goes into constructing them. Soon enough, published books may become novelties.
The increasing popularity of the kindle and other E-reader products may also enlighten the book industry by allowing the printing business to become the specialized and exclusive craft it once was. Since plainly published books will no longer be desired since simple copies will be available on kindle, the publishing industry may return to the artistic aspects of book making. Printers may have to become more specialized and innovative to make books into artwork that people will like vs. just something to hold words. In other words publishing may return to its roots: manuscript production. During the medieval age, (around 1000) manuscript making was considered to be one of the highest forms of art work. Many famous manuscripts from the time period were created that are still famous today, such as the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. Art historians who cherish these books also believe that the Kindle is the devil. In fact, that is exactly what my teacher who specializes in medieval manuscripts said to our class last week. With a very angry expression and hand gesture to go along with it!
The truth is that this issue is way to vast to be covered in a short blog post. I wanted to bring light to this issue which is way more multifaceted and prevalent than most people realize when they first consider the Kindle. While many people love it, there are those who hate it.
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