No, the Internet Has Not Killed the Printed Book - Most People Still Prefer Them (nytimes.com)

Daniel Victor, writing for The New York Times: Even with Facebook, Netflix and other digital distractions increasingly vying for time, Americans' appetite for reading books -- the ones you actually hold in your hands -- has not slowed in recent years (Editor's note: the link could be paywalled; alternate source), according to a study by the Pew Research Center. Sixty-five percent of adults in the United States said they had read a printed book in the past year, the same percentage that said so in 2012. When you add in ebooks and audiobooks, the number that said they had read a book in printed or electronic format in the past 12 months rose to 73 percent, compared with 74 percent in 2012. Twenty-eight percent said they had opted for an ebook in the past year, while 14 percent said they had listened to an audiobook. Lee Rainie, the director of internet, science and technology research for Pew Research, said the study demonstrated the staying power of physical books. "I think if you looked back a decade ago, certainly five or six years ago when ebooks were taking off, there were folks who thought the days of the printed book were numbered, and it's just not so in our data," he said. The 28 percent who said they had read an ebook in the past year has remained relatively steady in the past two years, but the way they are consuming ebooks is changing.

Comments

Let me make this easy for you.

[H3lldr0p]

Form-factor. Form-factor. Form-factor.

Books are still around because we understand and have crafted them to exist in a particular, easy to transport, easy to trade form factor. Mass printed books have been around for almost 600 years at this point. We have thoroughly explored the technology.

Electronic format, on the other hand, has not been as thoroughly explored. It's still finding itself. There's going to be a good while before everyone becomes happy with it. Until such time, the printed book is not going to be replaced.

Re:Let me make this easy for you.

[BringsApples]

You can take a book anywhere and read it until it's dark outside, and never need electricity.

You can cut a square out of the inside of the pages to make a hidden compartment.

You can use the pages as fuel for a fire.

You can set the book up on the floor at an angle to make a ramp for your son's cars.

You can use a book to look like you're sophisticated at a coffee shop, rather than look like you're on facebook.

You can underline, highlight, makes notes on a book.

But, you can carry around your entire library on a digital device.

Re:Let me make this easy for you.

[rossdee]

" with adjustable font & brightness"

That is the important part for those of us that have poor vision

I prefer to read white text on a black background, and of course you can easily enlarge the font.

Re:Let me make this easy for you.

[kheldan]

But, you can carry around your entire library on a digital device until the author, publisher, distributor, DRM provider, or some nameless schmuck pushing the wrong button erases it from your e-book reader and then proceeds to deny you a refund, or decides to change the content, or otherwise denies you access to it.

There, fixed that for you and everyone else reading this thread.

When you make a digital 'purchase' (using the term loosely here), you never really OWN it, you're only RENTING it. It literally can be yanked out from under you with no notice and with no effort on their part, and you have effectively no recourse. A printed book? They have to break into your house and TAKE it from you physically.

Re:Let me make this easy for you.

[kheldan]

the formats for e-books can be reversed engineered rather easily, no chance of them ever becoming unreadable. have a look at them sometime

Sure. And if you get caught doing that, or enabling someone else to do that, or distributing a way to do that, or even get caught with a decrypted, DRM-free version of something, you can be convicted of a federal crime, because of the insane copyright and DRM laws in this country. Hell, if they had their way, discussing the subject would be illegal. Nope, nope, nope. I'll stick with printed books. You have to break into my house and physically take those from me, or destroy them, or blind me so I can't read them. All actionable offenses.

Paper can still be good

[tripleevenfall]

I can't get a kindle book from a friend, read it, then pass it on to another friend.

I can't shop around a used kindle book store.

You can't display kindle books, which is an aesthetic that many people love in a home, a shelf full of interesting books.

Ebooks are a more convenient form of something, not a replacement for the thing. It's a portable version of real thing, not a new real thing.

Re:Paper can still be good

[Dunbal]

I can't get a kindle book from a friend, read it, then pass it on to another friend.

I can't lend a kindle book to a friend and have him never return it, even after I remind him twice. Hey there are plus sides.

Kindle format is terrible

[bangular]

I own a kindle and it's collecting dust. I've purchased like 5 or so technical kindle books (math and programming). Equations typically can't be scaled or don't display properly. Code examples are formatted so badly they are impossible to read. I originally bought my kindle thinking I could read research papers. Hah! Good luck. Try to read an IEEE two column format research paper on the kindle. Most ebook formats are just as bad. O'Reilly books had the right idea to use pdf's.

Write-up vs. headline

[mi]

Write-up:

Sixty-five percent of adults in the United States said they had read a printed book in the past year, the same percentage that said so in 2012

Headline:

Most People Still Prefer Them

A person, who read one paper book in 2016, but 10 such books in 2012 would not make a difference to the cited survey. And, of course, there is no evidence as to what people's preference is — are we reading paper-books, because we prefer it, or for other reasons?

My family brought a substantial library with us, when we immigrated. Our bookcases hold the cherished old friends.

But I would not expect my children to share the sentimental attachment. Because I myself would not be persuaded to go to bed with a papyrus or a box of clay tablets.

Re: Display

[Luthair]

Spyware? Turn off WiFi if you think that is the case, battery lasts longer. Most sci-fi/fantasy/computer books can be bought DRM free and put on any e-reader.

book printing gets tinier with age

[rubycodez]

e-readers have adjustable font size.

Glad I don't have to read books with a large magnifier like my parents did

I still have my paper books but its hard to read them

Plus

[fyngyrz]

Sixty-five percent of adults in the United States said they had read a printed book in the past year, the same percentage that said so in 2012.

"A book in the past year"? And this measures "enthusiasm" for books of any kind?

Hilarious.

People who buy a book a year are not those who drive the market for books. Period.

Furthermore, I've read (reluctantly) printed books in the past year, the main reason for which is because there was no electronic version of that particular volume.

These people are counting teeth to see how many toes there are.

Re:Plus

[kheldan]

These people are counting teeth to see how many toes there are.

Like me, many people who read actual books (not the e-book troll you people fell for, LOL) KEEP THEM and read them again. You have enough of a library, you forget enough details that over time an old book is enjoyable again to rediscover the details within. That's why WE don't need to buy as many new books every year. I read dozens of books every year -- just not new ones all the time. I buy maybe a handful of new ones every year -- and KEEP THEM.

You're a jackass and need to have your shit slapped until you learn to not be a jackass anymore.

Re:Plus

[kheldan]

Oh well gee I'm such a POOR BASTARD to not have an idetic, indellible memory that never fades like apparently you have. So you remember every single word of every single printed work you've ever read? Sounds boring. I'd rather come back to a book I haven't read in a few years and read it again because I enjoy it. Must be awful, only being able to enjoy something once, I pity you and your horrible, one-dimensional existence. Also you must be a terrible bore at parties, correcting people constantly when they get a single word wrong, quoting something, must be a horrible buzzkill for everyone, totally killing a conversation that way.

Re:Well, then, what happened to bookstores?

[PCM2]

Believe it or not, in downtown San Francisco -- San Francisco, now -- I know of two small independent bookstores. There is no Barnes & Noble in the entire City, no Borders, no large bookstores of any kind. If you were to say to yourself, "I'm going to head downtown and do my Christmas shopping," books are a gift you probably would not buy, because you would not see any.

With e-books, there's a barrier to entry

[93 Escort Wagon]

I do wonder if there's some percentage of the population which won't consider e-books simply because of the cost of the initial outlay for the device? While technically you can read on your phone, even the phablets have rather small screens from that perspective... so for comfortable reading you're looking at buying an e-reader of some sort (e.g. Kindle) or a tablet.

On a side note... here on Slashdot, I have sworn many times I would never, ever spend large amounts of money to upgrade my old third-generation dog-chewed Kindle Keyboard. But, alas, on the most recent Prime Day the lure of the Voyage was too strong. Between the Prime Day discount, and buying a refurbished unit, the cost came down by about 40 percent... and I bit. I have to say it's a really nice device - having a built-in light is great, and the haptic "buttons" work pretty darn well. But I'm sorry, guys, I was weak... I didn't hold the line I swore to hold.

Better tool than a book, yet I love books

[goombah99]

I thought I would hate the kindle both for it's form factor and because I have a sort of photographic memory for page layouts when recalling information in text books. Since I don't read textbooks often anymore--most things are now searchable on the internet, what I found was the convenience of the kindle in being able to take a lot of books on travel, even pick them up at the airport, and also to make the fonts larger are killer reasons it's better than print. I personally use it to the exclusion of books for all new books. I still buy used books because the price is better.

What kills me about the kindle is two things. One is when I read great book the first thing I want to do is give it to a friend. And you can't. The second thing is you can't put it on your trophy shelf. I like looking at the books I've loved on my shelf as they recall bits of the story I liked at a glance. It tells others about me in a way I want to tell, and it's lets you pick one out and give it to a friend.

So I love books and hate the kindle, except that it's a far better tool than a book. It's just that books are more than tools, they have identities and you want to share them.

27% of Americans Didn't Read a Book Last Year!

[SWGuy]

That's your scary headline.

Re:patience is called for

[kheldan]

Until e-books are 100% DRM free and you truly own the copy you pay for (can't be changed or deleted buy anyone but you) and can always access it (no DRM to fail or to be denied by someone so you can't use it anymore) then e-books are a total FAIL and I'll NEVER pay even $0.01 for them. That being said: It will NEVER happen. There will always be some bullshit DRM or the ability for them to remove the copy you PAID for -- so you never own it, you're just RENTING it. I'll stick to printed books.