Buy a Kindle if you want to rent rather than buy books

Gizmodo tells us that we might or might not be able to resell “books” that have been “purchased” with the Kindle or Sony eBook reader. The scare quotes are intentional because whether the physical embodiment of words or the words themselves constitute a “book” hasn’t been decided, and whether one has actual control over a Kindle or eBook hasn’t been decided either. From my initial comments:

Furthermore, I know that I’ll be able to read my copy of A Farewell to Alms in ten years. Will Amazon still produce the Kindle or Kindle store in ten years? Maybe, maybe not. I have books printed a hundred years ago that have journeyed places I doubt their original owners could’ve fathomed. Most Kindles will end up in consumer electronic junk heaps in five years, just like most iPods.

One response

  1. Hm, interesting comment. I’m trying to decide if I should buy myself a kindle or not. They got much cheaper now. I agree – Kindles will disappear, cause they’ll simply be substituted with something even more convenient. But maybe it’s worth it for now.

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