Technology is going paperless, that’s simply a fact now a days. However, technology is doing many other things, which is why I chose to take a technology management course as one of my final electives for my MBA. Best choice I’ve made since entering the school.
In this class, we are to do a PowerPoint presentation about a “living case”. My group chose e-readers, with no push from me I promise, and more specifically how the iPad and other tablets may change the medium on which we read... well, everything. Personally, and my friend Casey would probably hate for me this, but I don’t see the big deal about Apple. Yeah alright, they make awesome stuff, but I almost don’t like them because everyone else loves them so much – I’m difficult like that. Still, Microsoft gets no love from me either and if I could choose to have something from either, I’d probably choose Apple’s iPad at this point. Not that I have the money for even a PS3 right now; which would be my next big purchase (one must have priorities). And despite my hatred for the name of the device – clearly no women were in that discussion – the usefulness of it simply can’t be compared.
But is it better than a Kindle? Better in the sense that it can do more, but it still doesn’t provide the intimate experience that a book does.
Poetic isn’t it? Intimate experience.
I must confess I didn’t think of it. But that description of holding a book in your hand is exactly what it is. I read an article for this presentation we are to do for the class that I wish to share here. “Books in the age of the iPad” by Craig Mod.
In this class, we are to do a PowerPoint presentation about a “living case”. My group chose e-readers, with no push from me I promise, and more specifically how the iPad and other tablets may change the medium on which we read... well, everything. Personally, and my friend Casey would probably hate for me this, but I don’t see the big deal about Apple. Yeah alright, they make awesome stuff, but I almost don’t like them because everyone else loves them so much – I’m difficult like that. Still, Microsoft gets no love from me either and if I could choose to have something from either, I’d probably choose Apple’s iPad at this point. Not that I have the money for even a PS3 right now; which would be my next big purchase (one must have priorities). And despite my hatred for the name of the device – clearly no women were in that discussion – the usefulness of it simply can’t be compared.
But is it better than a Kindle? Better in the sense that it can do more, but it still doesn’t provide the intimate experience that a book does.Poetic isn’t it? Intimate experience.
I must confess I didn’t think of it. But that description of holding a book in your hand is exactly what it is. I read an article for this presentation we are to do for the class that I wish to share here. “Books in the age of the iPad” by Craig Mod.
This article talks about form. Mod points out that the majority of what we read is formless material; text and nothing more. The layout of text is easily adaptable to any type of e-reader device, be it iPad, Kindle, or even your Smartphone. And when people talk about reading on their electronic devices, they generally don’t mention the content. Because the words on the page don’t change. They comment on the comfort of reading it on a screen. Mod seems to think that this will improve with time. I’m not really sure about that; because as he points out, when reading for fun, turning a page gives the reader a sense of contact with the content that simply cannot be generated through a screen.
Additionally, another presentation on a similar topic in this technology management class pointed out that the average number of pages that we can read at one time is diminishing. If you think about it, people generally don’t read more than four pages of text in one sitting on one article on the web. It can be argued that we are reading more because the materials are more readily available to us, but think back to how much you actually read of one article you've see on the web. I’ve finished very few, and I’ve mainly printed them out to do so.
So, for now at least, if someone were to spend a day reading a book, more than likely it’ll be print. But the day that isn’t so is coming soon, I just don’t think that future generations will ever receive the same amount of intimacy that preceding generations did.
Still, convenience counts for a lot these days. And no one will deny, e-readers are much more convenient.
Additionally, another presentation on a similar topic in this technology management class pointed out that the average number of pages that we can read at one time is diminishing. If you think about it, people generally don’t read more than four pages of text in one sitting on one article on the web. It can be argued that we are reading more because the materials are more readily available to us, but think back to how much you actually read of one article you've see on the web. I’ve finished very few, and I’ve mainly printed them out to do so.
So, for now at least, if someone were to spend a day reading a book, more than likely it’ll be print. But the day that isn’t so is coming soon, I just don’t think that future generations will ever receive the same amount of intimacy that preceding generations did.
Still, convenience counts for a lot these days. And no one will deny, e-readers are much more convenient.
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