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E-READERS: As technology advances, e-readers are leaving printed books in the dust.
By Joann Lee, Staff Writer
The invention of e-books and e-readers has largely been met with success. Before, eager readers found that it was inconvenient to carry as many books as they pleased. Now, the literate are able to carry a library’s worth of narratives in a portable device, such as a phone or tablet. However, with all the convenience and popularity of e-readers, printed books are suffering. In fact, not only are printed books suffering, but also bookstores everywhere.
The growing trend of e-readers even caused Borders, a chain whose success rivaled that of Barnes & Noble, to announce bankruptcy. “Borders didn’t foresee the rise of e-books like Amazon and […] Barnes & Noble did. It didn’t develop its own e-reader to compete with the Kindle or the Nook,” Time magazine stated. Despite the threat the e-reader poses to printed books, many still praise the idea of e-readers.
“New devices such as e-readers like the Kindle and tablet computers like the iPad can help reduce paper waste while allowing us to have many of our favorite books and subscriptions at our fingertips,” the Daily Green said. This applies not only to books, but to magazines and newspapers as well. Newspapers especially are large contributors to paper waste. According to EcologyCenter.com, it takes 75,000 trees to print out a Sunday edition of the New York Times. By implementing e-readers, 75,000 trees can be spared from the process of publishing a Sunday paper.
The e-reader is green, yes, but is it hazardous to one’s physical health? The objection to e-readers is that their screens put excessive strain on one’s eyesight. However, this rumor proves to be false:
“The new LCDs [Liquid Crystal Displays] don’t affect your eyes. Today’s screens update every eight milliseconds, whereas the human eye is moving at a speed between 10 and 30 milliseconds,” Carl Taussig, director of a screen-developing company, said.
Though the e-reader proves to be extremely convenient and efficient, many believe that an e-reader can never wholly replace a “real book.”
“The fact that a consumer can order and download a book instantly […] is not enough to make print books disappear. ‘Some people just like to have books in their house,’ [Publisher’s Weekly] says. ‘Basically, if you just want to read a book, a print book is still a pretty good deal,’” Time reported.